Asteroid 2001 FO32 takes the closest approach to Earth, giving astronomers a chance to study the rock as it passes.
The largest asteroid to pass through Earth this year has taken its closest approach, posing no threat of a cataclysmic collision, but giving astronomers a rare chance to study a rock formed at the beginning of our solar system.
According to NASA, the asteroid was two million kilometers away (1.25 million miles) away, more than five times the distance between Earth and the Moon, but still close enough to be classified as a “potentially dangerous asteroid.” .
NASA is tracking and cataloging such objects that could hit Earth and unleash enormous destruction, such as the massive asteroid that destroyed 75 percent of life on the planet 66 million years ago.
The 2001 asteroid FO32, discovered 20 years ago, was too far away to be so dangerous, even though it arrived at about 14:00 GMT on Sunday, according to the Paris Observatory. NASA said it was traveling at about 124,000 km / h (77,000 mph).
“Oh, yes, friends! Do you see this point of light? This point of light is the asteroid “, exclaimed the astrophysicist Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy, who trained his lenses on the rock on Monday, immediately after the closest approach.
“How happy I am, how proud I am, how excited I am … to bring this live to you,” Masi said as he posted a grainy image of a pale spot during a YouTube broadcast.
Prepare your telescopes! On March 21, the 2001 asteroid FO32 will pass safely on Earth, giving astronomers a good look at a relic at the dawn of our solar system.
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– NASA STI Program (@NASA_STI) March 18, 2021
Astronomers hoped to better understand the composition of the estimated 900-meter (3,000-foot) rock as it grew.
“When sunlight reaches the surface of an asteroid, the minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others,” NASA said.
“By studying the spectrum of light reflected from the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical ‘fingerprints’ of minerals on the asteroid’s surface.”
Due to its elongated orbit, NASA said it “increases speed like a skateboarder that rolls on half a pipe and then slows down after being thrown back into deep space and returns to the Sun.”
Potential threats
The study of asteroids and comets that are so close to our planet – called the Near-Earth Object or NEO – gives scientists a better understanding of the history and dynamics of the solar system.
It is also a valuable database with potential threats – an impact of a huge rock in space could destroy the entire planet.
About 80 to 100 tons of material, such as dust and small meteorites, fall to Earth every day, according to NASA, is not a serious threat, but larger objects can cause major damage because they possess a huge momentum due to their high speed.
In 2013, a nearly 60-meter-wide object exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, unleashing 30 times the force of a nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
Experts estimate that such events occur once or twice a century, and the blows of larger objects are even rarer.
NASA said that more than 95 percent of asteroids near Earth the size of 2001 FO32 or larger have been cataloged, and none of them have any chance of impacting our planet in the next century.
The agency is looking at potential ways to counter the impact of an asteroid or comet, including hitting the spacecraft to deflect it and even nuclear explosions as a last resort.