Asteroid 2020 RK2, larger than the size of a Boeing 747 airliner, will collide with Earth’s orbit at a distance of 38,30,238 km away, on Wednesday (October 7) around 10:42 p.m.
Asteroid, larger than Boeing 747, will collide with Earth’s outer orbit on October 7 (Illustration: NASA)
An asteroid larger than the size of a Boeing 747 jet is moving toward Earth at a speed of 6.68 kilometers per second. The space rock, named Asteroid 2020 RK2, is on a trajectory to cross Earth’s orbit on Wednesday (October 7) at around 10:42 p.m.
NASA has said that the asteroid will pass at a distance of 38,30,238 km from the Earth’s surface, so the chances of the asteroid causing any damage are extremely unlikely.
Despite the asteroid approaching Earth’s orbit, astronomers are unlikely to be able to see it from Earth.
NASA says the asteroid is “bigger than the Boeing 747 plane.” In other words, the asteroid could be wider than the wingspan of a Boeing 747, which is 68.5 m.
Asteroid 2020 RK2 is estimated to be between 36 and 81 meters (118.11 to 265 feet wide) in diameter.
NASA has said that after the asteroid passed Earth’s orbit on Wednesday, it is not likely to visit us again until August 2027.
Last month, an asteroid the size of a school bus briefly visited Earth’s orbit, passing at a distance of about 22,000 kilometers.
Scientists estimated that asteroid 2020 SW was roughly 15 to 30 feet wide. Although it wasn’t on an impact path with Earth, if it were, the space rock would almost certainly break apart high in the atmosphere, turning into a bright meteor known as a fireball.
