Asteroid 2006 QQ23 Pose No Threat Of Impact With Earth

An expert at the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand decided to speak up to reduce the panic surrounding the Asteroid 2006 QQ23, which is double the height of Baiyoke II Tower in Bangkok, would have hit Planet Earth on Saturday.

The asteroid, with a size double the height of Baiyoke II Tower in Bangkok, is being kept under observation by NASA. The object is expected to pass by our planet today, August 10, and people started to freak out, thinking that the reason why this asteroid receives so much attention is that it will hit Earth.

However, Sitthiporn Duantakhu, an official of the NARIT (National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand), announced that, even though authorities are watching the evolution of the QQ23 asteroid’s trajectory, there is no need to panic. Simply observing the asteroid does not mean scientists are expecting a collision.

Asteroid 2006 QQ23 Pose No Threat Of Impact With Earth

Concerns among the public began after a TV channel in Thailand reported NASA’s warning about the asteroid passing near Earth, causing Thai viewers to panic. Some of them took to social media to warn everyone that the end of the world is here. According to Sitthiporn, NASA always monitors asteroids that fly near our planet, not because they might pose a threat to us, but because scientists consider this a good chance to study these objects.

NASA announced that Asteroid 2006 QQ23 would fly within 0.049 astronomical units or 7.3 million kilometers of Earth at about 16,740 km/h. At this distance, it can be classified as a near-Earth asteroid. Even more, the distance labels it as potentially hazardous. Its diameter is 570 meters.

In comparison, the moon is about 0.38 million kilometers from Earth. The asteroid was first detected 13 years ago, on August 21, 2006, and this is not the first time it orbits the Earth.