‘Extremely hazardous’: At 94,000 kmph, asteroid to pass Earth on August 21
Every 5.9 years, the asteroid orbits the Sun, reaching extremely close to Earth's orbit before going beyond Jupiter's orbit.
The possibly dangerous object will pass near to Earth again in 2063. The space agency has forecast its orbital path and believes it will cause no harm to the planet this time.
Scientists across the world have long been concerned about asteroids, and now a 4,500-foot-diameter object has joined the list as it approaches Earth. NASA has categorized asteroid 2016 AJ193 as potentially hazardous as it approaches Earth on the night of August 21.
While passing Earth at a distance nine times that of Earth and the Moon, the asteroid will be moving at a blistering speed of 94,208 kilometers per hour. Astronomers will use telescopes to examine the 1.4-kilometer-wide asteroid as it orbits Earth.
In 2063, the potentially hazardous object will come close to Earth once more. The space agency has predicted its orbital path and is confident that it will not hurt the planet this time. The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) facility at Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii identified the asteroid in January 2016, and NASA used the NEOWISE mission to investigate it.
According to EarthSky, astronomers determined that the asteroid is completely black (not very reflective), and that its rotation period, pole orientation, and spectral class are all unknown.
Every 5.9 years, the asteroid orbits the Sun, reaching extremely close to Earth’s orbit before going beyond Jupiter’s orbit.
Another asteroid flew by the Earth on July 25, but this one was three times the size of the Taj Mahal. According to NASA, the asteroid ‘2008 GO20,’ which has a diameter of around 220 meters, came closest to Earth on July 25 at 3 a.m. (IST).
