Of popular mechanics
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An asteroid in size named 2018 VP1 will swing past Earth on November 2, the day before Election Day 2020.
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Fortunately, VP1 2018 has a 0.41 percent chance of entering Earth’s atmosphere. It would probably burn everyone up.
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Researchers discovered the asteroid in 2018 using telescopes at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California.
An asteroid named VPP 2018 will zip past Earth on November 2, just a day before Americans will cast their vote for the next president of the United States. The timing of the asteroid brings new meaning to the phrase “Rock the Vote.”
But if images of a massive space rock hitting the earth send bullets under your back, take a deep breath.
“Asteroid 2018VP1 is very small, about 6.5 feet, and poses no threat to Earth!” NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office tweeted on 23 August. “It currently has a 0.41 [percent] chance to enter the atmosphere of our planet, but if it did, it would disintegrate due to its very small size. “
🌌 You love badass space things. We too. Let’s nerds about the universe together.
Sky scanners investigated discovered 2018 VP1 at the Zwicky Transient Facility at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in 2018. Due to its small size, scientists have had difficulty tracking the object and locating its trajectory.
NASA launched its Near-Earth Object Observations Program in 1998 and has since discovered about 19,000 near-Earth objects. In 2005, Congress asked the agency to find 90 percent of all asteroids on Earth about 460 feet or larger. These rocky bodies are large enough to at least cause regional damage to the planet and destabilize the global atmosphere and affect crop production.
Within the category of objects in the Earth’s orbit, NASA also tracks potentially dangerous objects. These asteroids – like Bennu, the asteroid at the center of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission – are anywhere from 100 to 160 feet wide and are expected to reach within 5 million miles of Earth. Fortunately, none of these asteroids is a scheme to “try” at any moment.
The closest ever recorded approach by an asteroid happened just last week on August 16, when 2020 QG flew 1,830 miles above the earth’s surface. Scientists at Zwicky saw the SUV-sized asteroid about 6 hours after the close call when it orbited from Earth. However, if 2020 QG swung into the Earth’s atmosphere, it would have burned up.
So there you have it: 2018 VP1 will not destroy our planet for election day, although it would certainly be appropriate. You can still exercise your civic duty on 3 November.
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