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Potentially dangerous asteroid Apollo to gallop towards Earth, likely to fly on May 7
A 210-meter diameter asteroid is launching toward Earth and is likely to get particularly close on May 7, when the asteroid is like flying past. The NASA Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has revealed details about the asteroid on its website. Space rocks in the Apollo category are considered the most dangerous type of intruder, as they cross Earth’s orbit with theirs.
The ‘438908 (2009 XO)’ is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses Earth’s orbit. NASA JPL has classified XO 2009 as a “Potentially Dangerous Asteroid” due to its planned close encounter with Earth.
XO 2009 orbits the sun every 926 days (2.54 years), reaching as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as high as 2.87 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, the XO 2009 is likely between 0.211 and 0.472 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very similar in size to a football field.
Close approaches
In the next 180 years, the asteroid is likely to have 12 close-to-Earth encounters.
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Speed (km / s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2020 | 3,393,570 | 12,781 |
| January 4, 2048 | 24,121,743 | 17,012 |
| March 14, 2053 | 21,361,496 | 10,119 |
| May 20, 2058 | 25,195,604 | 17,229 |
| January 15, 2086 | 2,503,664 | 12,568 |
| March 14, 2091 | 21,361,069 | 10,102 |
| May 7, 2096 | 1,534,180 | 12,450 |
| January 4, 2119 | 29,668,780 | 18,147 |
| March 29, 2124 | 20,148,645 | 9,978 |
| January 26, 2152 | 6,951,991 | 10,852 |
| May 15, 2157 | 10,944,142 | 14,331 |
| May 24, 2185 | 27,406,086 | 17,649 |
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