Alert! A huge asteroid is speeding towards Earth and will come close to Earth today. Will it impact the planet?
Asteroid flybys have been a common occurrence these past few weeks. Three asteroids passed by Earth very closely yesterday alone, making it one of the most frequent asteroid flyby days we have had this month. In case you didn’t know, Asteroids are Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) which are often found orbiting the Sun in the main asteroid belt near Jupiter. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office keeps an eye on these space rocks for any potential trip to Earth and possible impact. Now, NASA has warned that another asteroid is heading our way.
Asteroid 2022 TJ6 speeding towards Earth
Asteroid 2022 TJ6 is different from other asteroids as it belongs to the Amor group of asteroids. According to the-sky.org, this asteroid takes almost 470 days to complete one orbit of the Sun, during which its farthest distance from the Sun is 200 million kilometers and nearest distance is 154 million kilometers.
Asteroid 2022 TJ6 is heading for Earth today, October 7 at a blistering speed of 51696 kilometers per hour, according to NASA. This asteroid is colossal in size with a width of 100 feet, which is nearly the size of a commercial aircraft. Asteroid 2022 TJ6 will make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of nearly 4.4 million kilometers. Although this asteroid is not expected to impact the Earth, it has still been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object due to the close proximity by which it will pass Earth. A slight deviation in its path due to interaction with the planet’s gravitational field could change its trajectory and send it hurtling towards the Earth.
Did you know?
1. Asteroids are also called minor planets. These celestial objects are the remains of the period during which our solar system formed, over 4.6 billion years ago. According to NASA, the current known asteroid count is 1,113,527.
2. Asteroids have several shapes, they may be spherical, elongated, or oddly shaped. Some asteroids even have their own satellites!