NASA not too long ago issued an alert about an asteroid that’s approaching Earth and will probably be extraordinarily close to to it on Friday (Oct 20). The asteroid, designated as Asteroid 2023 TK15, will make its closest look to the Earth, which will probably be even nearer than the moon, mentioned the house company.
The approaching house rock belongs to the Apollo group of Close to-Earth Asteroids, that are Earth-crossing house rocks with semi-major axis bigger than that of Earth. These asteroids are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, which was found by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth across the Thirties. NASA has saved its radar on these asteroids for a very long time in its try to save lots of the Earth from being hit by house rocks.
Asteroid 2023 TK15
In response to NASA, Asteroid 2023 TK15 will move Earth at an especially shut distance of simply 379,994 km, which is even nearer than the Moon. Simply to place it into perspective, the gap of the Moon from Earth is 384,400 km. Therefore, it is going to be one of many closest asteroid approaches of the yr up to now.
The asteroid has been found and tracked utilizing numerous superior technological devices, such because the NEOWISE telescope, Atacama massive Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Pans-STARRS1 and Catalina Sky Survey.
Is it harmful?
Regardless of Asteroid 2023 TK15’s extraordinarily shut method, it doesn’t pose a menace to Earth attributable to its small dimension, as per NASA. The house company estimates it to be round 130 ft huge, which is sort of as large as an plane.
This isn’t the primary time that Asteroid 2013 TK15 will move the Earth. Final yr on June 18, the asteroid made a non-threatening shut method to the planet.
This yr’s method of Asteroid 2013 TK15 could be the final closest look, as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has already denied any such approaches in future.
(With inputs from businesses)
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