Another Giant Asteroid, 2015/FP118, Will Whizz By Earth This Monday, September 3rd

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When we hear that a giant asteroid whizzes by Earth, we start thinking what if it would hit our planet and will cause the End of Days. Well, this Monday, September 3rd, we will have another large space rock flying next to our planet. The asteroid identified as 2015/FP118, which is estimated to be between 370 and 820 meters in size, will pass tomorrow at a distance of about 12 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Although objects of this size are classified as “potentially hazardous,” they do not pose any danger to the life on Earth.

The Earth will not be affected by the flying space rock, but it’s still essential for the space agencies around the world to monitor these asteroids. However, an object of 820 meters could wipe out an entire continent in case it would collide with our planet, and that’s why astronomers are keeping an eye on these near-Earth objects, even though the majority of them are presenting trajectories that pass hundreds of thousands of miles away from us.

Another giant asteroid, 2015/FP118 will whizz by Earth this Monday, September 3rd

On August 29th, one space rock of about 160 meters in size, dubbed as 2016 NF23, flew next to our planet safely. Now, tomorrow another giant asteroid will whizz by Earth. Identified as 2015/FP118, this space object will fly next to our planet at about 12 times the distance between the Moon and us, so it will also whizz without causing any damage.

It is necessary to determine the asteroids’ trajectories to observe any potentially hazardous change that may occur over time, to know for sure if one of these near-Earth objects could collide with Earth.

Even though we have no fully-established solutions to deflect an asteroid from its trajectory or to destroy it entirely before impacting with our planet, NASA and other space agencies in the world are testing and working on such methods. The trajectory-deflecting method will be soon tested on the asteroid Bennu, currently explored by NASA Osiris-REx.

Tommy’s hobby has always been playing video games. He enjoys competing in video games tournaments and writing about his experience. It’s not a big surprise that he mostly covers the latest trends from the gaming industry.