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A 1.2-mile-wide asteroid that will fly over Earth next week appears to be wearing a face mask, just like humans on the planet facing the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was revealed by images published by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Called 52768 (1998 OR2), the asteroid was first seen in 1998. The asteroid will pass within 3,908,791 miles of Earth, moving at 19,461 miles per hour on April 29.
“Small-scale topographic features, such as hills and ridges at one end of the 1998 OR2 asteroid, are scientifically fascinating,” said CNN, Anne Virkki, head of planetary radar at the Arecibo Observatory. “But since we’re all thinking about Covid-19, these features make it seem like OR2 1998 remembers wearing a mask.”
The 1998 OR2 asteroid will fly beyond Earth at a distance of 6.3 million kilometers from our planet, which, be assured, is more than a safe distance from us. For reference, the distance from Earth to the moon is 3.85,000 (385,000) kilometers, which puts the 1998 OR2 at a distance of 16.4x like that between Earth and its closest celestial body. According to NASA’s official classification of asteroids and other space rock orbits, anything that intersects Earth’s orbit at a distance of less than 7.5 million kilometers will qualify as potentially dangerous.
