Asteroid is Hitting the Earth this Year

Asteroid is Hitting the Earth?

According to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), according to their observations, the asteroid "2018VP1" will pass very closely to the Earth on November 2. But even if it passes relatively close to the Earth, it will not be a risk factor for the Earth, NASA said.

Very small in size, this asteroid is 7.5 feet in diameter or 0.002 km. As it crosses Earth, the asteroid can be in any position between 4,600 miles and 270,000 miles from Earth. However, according to the observed estimates, this distance may be 4994.8 km. Which is less than the distance of many telecommunication satellites observing the earth.

The asteroid was first discovered in 2016 by scientists at the NASA Paloma Observatory in San Diego, California. At that time, the asteroid was located 450,000 kilometers away from the Earth. After 13 days of observing the asteroid's orbit, it was no longer visible.

But despite passing so close, NASA does not consider the asteroid to be dangerous or risky due to its small size. According to their data, the asteroid has a maximum probability of hitting Earth at 0.41%. And even if it does hit, the asteroid will be crushed as a result of friction with the atmosphere as soon as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

NASA said in a recent press release that it is very difficult to identify these asteroids and determine their trajectory; Until they get very close to the earth. Also the speed of these tiny asteroids is usually much higher.

Earlier last week, another asteroid crossed the Earth over the South Indian Ocean at a distance of just 1,830 miles. About this, NASA said, the asteroid called 2020 GC has been identified by Zwicky Transient Facility, it is a robotic camera that scans the sky.

This asteroid was also quite small in size, much like the size of a car. But it wasn't a threat to the Earth because it did not come directly to Earth. And, if it did, it would be crushed by friction with the Earth's atmosphere.