It won’t be a “touch” (happy). Even if the asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2) is supposed to “graze” the earth. It will happen on April 29th. It is very good for our existence that it does not come so close. It has a diameter between 1.8 and 4.1 kilometers. And it moves at an astronomical speed of 8.69 kilometers per second. The next point is 6.28 million km. We have nothing to fear if the asteroid approaches Earth at the end of the month.
The radio telescope from Arecibo Observatory got an impressive picture of the asteroid in Puerto Rico. You will see a rounded shape in it. The researchers themselves compare it to a hygienic “mask”.
Since its discovery in 1998, space agencies around the world have been following this closely. They have their orbital data exactly. It is known that, despite being classified as “potentially dangerous” (any body that passes less than 0.05 astronomical units on Earth), it poses no risk.
Can you beat us
Zhao Haibin is an astronomer at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He explains: “The asteroid has no chance of hitting Earth the next time it flies by.” He is quoted by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Scientists at the Zhao Observatory in east China’s Jiangsu Province have closely observed the asteroid. From April 4, they tracked it with the near-earth object telescope. They reported their observation data to the Minor Planet Center, which is affiliated with the International Astronomical Union.
NASA’s CNEOS (Center for Near Earth Object Studies) also assured that there was no risk of impact. In fact, 23 objects were added to the list in the coming centuries, and only one (“2018 VP1”) could affect 2020 against Earth. Although the chances are very slim. Its size is much smaller, about 2 meters.
In reality, many bodies are approaching Earth’s orbit. However, they are usually not as large as “52768 (1998 OR2)”. It conveys that only six asteroids of this size approach Earth. However, the work of locating and controlling asteroids is critical to the security of our planet. A body of this size could be devastating to life on Earth. Or have we already forgotten dinosaurs? For this reason, there are already plans from various space agencies (including the European Space Agency or ESA) to face a possible asteroid impact on our planet. There are even programs like HERA or DART to test the effectiveness of these theoretical plans. The asteroid that approaches Earth on April 29 is not dangerous, but a few others may appear later.
