As if 2020 is not already crazy enough, an asteroid is heading towards Earth just before election day.
According to NASA JPL’s Center for Near Objects Studies, space rock 2018VP1 will fly past Earth on November 2, a day before the US presidential election.
At 6.5 feet in diameter, it is not considered a “potentially dangerous” near-Earth object (NEO), but the space agency keeps its eye on it and other asteroids like it, nonetheless. It was first observed on 3 Nov. 2018, and last observed 13 days later.
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There are reported to be three potential impacts based on NASA’s 21 observations of the asteroid. However, the chance of direct impact is less than 0.41%, NASA noted.
Fox News has reached out to NASA with a request for comment.
On August 16, an asteroid of similar size, 2020 QG, became the closest space rock ever recorded to fly past Earth. NASA could not see it because it flew past the Earth from the direction of the sun.
A NASA spokesman told Fox News that “similar asteroids” by 2020 QG “would disintegrate into the Earth’s atmosphere if they were affected.” The spokesman added that the agency is working on a “space-based infrared telescope that will have better capacity to identify similar asteroids.”
“Potentially dangerous” NEOs are defined as space objects that come within 0.05 astronomical units and measure more than 460 feet in diameter, according to NASA. According to a 2018 report compiled by Planetary.org, there are more than 18,000 NEOs.
A NASA spokesman told Fox News that “similar asteroids” by 2020 QG “would disintegrate into the Earth’s atmosphere if they were affected.” The spokesman added that the agency is working on a “space-based infrared telescope that will have better capacity to identify similar asteroids.”
This is not the first time in recent memory that NASA has a NEO similar to 2020 QG. In February, researchers in the Netherlands discovered 11 “potentially dangerous objects” that are not on NASA’s list of “potentially dangerous” near-Earth objects, using advanced artificial intelligence.
NASA unveiled a 20-page plan in 2018 that details the steps the US needs to take to be better prepared for NEOs, such as asteroids and comets coming within 30 million miles of the planet.
A recent survey showed that Americans prefer a space program that focuses on potential asteroid impact on sending humans back to the moon or to Mars.
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NASA Director Jim Bridenstine said in April 2019 that an asteroid strike is not something to be taken lightly and is perhaps the biggest threat on Earth.
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