Asteroids have once again started making close approaches to the Earth’s surface. Earlier, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) found a small 41-feet wide asteroid nearing our planet and now astronomers have warned about the coming of a gigantic asteroid which is set to make its closest approach to Earth on July 17.
The asteroid, dubbed as 2022 KY4, is almost the size of a 50-storey skyscraper. It is about 290-feet wide and is coming closest towards our planet in about 100 years.
READ | Astronomers detect mysterious cosmic ‘heartbeat’ signals billions of light years from Earth
Is the coming of Asteroid 2022 KY4 dangerous?
According to researchers, the meaty space rock will safely go past Earth by nearly 3.8 million miles, which is 6.1 million kilometers. As per NASA, this is more than the average distance between Earth and the Moon, so there is nothing to worry about.
This is much farther than the asteroid 2022 NF, which came within 56,000 miles (90,000 kilometers) on July 7.
The Asteroid 2022 KY4 is travelling at an estimated speed of 16,900 mph (27,000 km/hr). It is around eight times as fast as a speeding rifle bullet. It earlier came closer to Earth in 1959 and 1948.
NASA has said that the asteroid won’t make another close approach to Earth till May 2048.
The US agency, along with other space agencies monitors cosmic objects that come near Earth at different times. Notably, an asteroid could collide with the Earth in rare circumstances as it usually doesn’t shift from its orbit despite interacting with the gravity of a larger object.
Space agencies, like NASA are always considerate about planetary defence. NASA launched an asteroid-deflecting spacecraft – Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in November 2021. This spacecraft is expected to slam directly into the 525-feet wide asteroid Dimorphos this year.
While the collision won’t destroy the asteroid, it will slightly change its orbital path.
