New Delhi:
Asteroid 2019 PK will shoot past the Earth on Sunday morning, August 18. The asteroid flyby, the NASA said, is classified as an “Earth Close Approach”. The space rock was first spotted flying through space on August 5. Since then, the NASA has tracked the asteroid 39 times to determine its size, speed and trajectory. Asteroid 2019 PK is an Apollo-type near-Earth object or NEO.
The NASA is currently monitoring two asteroids that will closely approach Earth this weekend. The first asteroid that would fly past Earth is called 2018 PN22. This asteroid is traveling at a speed of 5,100 miles per hour and has an estimated diameter of just about 62 feet.
The CNEOS predicted that the asteroid will approach Earth on Aug. 17 at 3:18 pm EDT. 2018 PN22 is expected to be about 0.04386 astronomical units or around 4 million miles from the planet’s center during its flyby. 2018 PN22 was first observed on Aug. 9, 2018.
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2019 PK is trailing behind 2018 PN22. According to CNEOS, this asteroid has a velocity of about 16,500 miles per hour and is around 167 feet long. 2019 PK is expected to enter Earth’s neighbourhood on August 18 at 1:14 am EDT.
According to CNEOS, 2019 PK is an Apollo asteroid. Like other Apollos, 2019 PK has a very wide orbit that covers both the Sun and Earth. From time to time, the asteroid’s orbit intersects with that of the planet as it goes around the Sun.
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The CNEOS is expected to gather more information regarding the asteroid in order to create a projection of its future close-Earth approaches.
Earlier this week, News Nation had reported that a giant asteroid dubbed as ‘2019 OU1’ approaching towards the Earth. And now, another asteroid named as 2018 PN22 will approach dangerously towards Earth. Don’t worry, asteroid 2018 PN22 will not hit the Earth and we all are safe. Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. The space rocks (asteroids) approach towards the Earth due to the gravitational forces that affect them. Asteroids can bring tsunamis, shock waves and flattening winds that could be catastrophic.
Talking specifically about asteroid 2018 PN22, the space rock is about 62 feet long (size of a school bus). According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), asteroid 2018 PN22 will fly from a distance of 0.04385 astronomical units or roughly 4 million miles away.
