This evening presents an exciting show for sky watchers – and asteroid Small house size will come close to the ground but safely.
According to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS)asteroid 2022 GN1 will pass within 79,000 miles (127,000 km) of Earth, or about a third of the distance between a land and the the moon, later this evening. Although space rock is classified as “A potentially dangerous asteroid“By CNEOS, due to its close proximity to Earth, the asteroid will not affect our planet.
Although it can be a little difficult to figure out on your own, you will be able to watch a live broadcast of the event hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project, weather permitting. This video will be posted at 9PM EST April 5 (0100 GMT April 6), and you can tune in via the window above or directly through Virtual Telescope Project website.
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Scientists estimate 2022 GN1 to be between 24 and 52 feet (7.7 to 16 meters) wide, about the size of a large bus. The asteroid will make its closest path at about 11:02 p.m. EDT (0302 GMT) at approximately 34,500 mph (55,500 km/h). According to News.
Astronomers discovered asteroid 2022 GN1 only on Friday (April 1), using data they collected Banstars Telescope At Haleakala on Maui, Hawaii, which regularly discovers previously unknown near-Earth objects.
Although the vast majority of space rocks—particularly the large ones—do not collide with Earth, our planet is frequently bombarded with smaller space objects. On March 30, for example, Small meteor explodes over IndianaWhich caused a boom that surprised and astounded the population but did not cause any harm.
Of course, an asteroid collision is never out of the question, which is why NASA manages Planetary Defense Coordination Office. The agency not only monitors the space around us, but also designs asteroid defense technologies that can protect us from a potential collision. In September, NASA will deliberately disrupt Arrow A spacecraft on the asteroid Demorphos trying to change its orbit.
If you miss the asteroid 2022 GN1 pass tonight, you’ll be back for another flyby in August 2056, According to CNEOS. And if you don’t want to wait that long to see another encounter soon, your next chance is right around the corner – the 2022 GQ1 asteroid will pass lunar distance on Thursday (April 7) morning.
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