Asteroid Warning: Potentially Hazardous Space Rock To Fly Close to Earth
Recent atmosphere investigations spotted an asteroid that will pass Earth. The space object, dubbed Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2), has been recognized as “potentially hazardous” by NASA. It was estimated to have a dimension of 1.8 to 4.1km, and it will approach Earth’s edge of space on April 29.
The “close approach” is measured to be approximately 6.29 million kilometers from our planet. A few days ago, the asteroid was almost 25 million kilometers from Earth, according to Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy. Dr. Masi will continue to observe and track the asteroid’s actions.
Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2) Will Pass Earth on April 29
At first, Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2) was almost 26 million kilometers from our planet. On April 29, the space object will approach us as close as 6.4 million kilometers. Such a thing represents more than 16 times the regular lunar distance. The asteroid won’t bring any damages. It will become noticeable enough to be seen with average optical tools. But, if the space object will travel by from such a distant length, then why has been dubbed as potentially hazardous?
Usually, comets and asteroid are recognized as potentially hazardous if they reach over 150 meters across, according to NASA’s measurements. The space objects approach Earth’s orbit from approximately 7.5 million kilometers.
NASA stated: “A relatively small number of near-Earth objects pass close enough to Earth and are large enough in size to warrant close observations.” Luckily, Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2) is not expected to approach us close enough to pose any harm. Small space objects, however, hit the Earth quite often.
Dr. Masi succeeded in capturing Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2) on March 24. He utilized a 17-inch telescoped, known as Elena. The black and white picture comprises a single 300-second exposure.
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