Archive image of the illustration of an asteroid artist approaching Earth. (Image: Getty Images)
The asteroid has been described by NASA as a Near Earth Object (NEO) and a Potentially Dangerous Asteroid, warning that it will travel at a speed of 48,000 km / hour.
- Trends Desk
- Last update: July 24, 2020 7:01 PM IST
The universe is full of various terrestrial objects, such as asteroids, comets, and meteorites. Most of these spin freely in the universe, and some pass near the planets from time to time.
On July 24, a large asteroid, named Asteroid 2020 ND, is ready to fly close to Earth’s surface. This asteroid has been described by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and a Potentially Dangerous Asteroid (PHA), warning that it will travel at a speed of 48,000 kilometers per hour.
This is not the first time that this huge asteroid will pass through Earth. With an estimated diameter of 160 meters or 520 feet, the asteroid has safely passed Earth five times in the past and will not cause damage even on this visit.
Now, if you’re wondering why this was named PHA despite not causing harm, you might consider NASA’s definition, which calls “Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA) in parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening approaches to the Earth. Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less are considered PHAs. ”
Asteroid 2020 ND made its first approach to Earth on July 17, 1945. After today, the asteroid will cross Earth in the future in 2035, 2074, and then in 2145.
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