From Good Housekeeping
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An asteroid with the car named 2018 VP1 will swing past Earth on November 2, the day before Election Day 2020.
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Fortunately, VP1 2018 has a 0.41 percent chance of entering the Earth’s atmosphere. It would probably burn up, though.
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Researchers discovered the asteroid in 2018 using telescopes at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California.
An asteroid named 2018 VP1 is scheduled to hit Earth on November 2, just one day before Americans cast their vote for the next president of the United States. The timing of the asteroid brings new meaning to the phrase “Rock the Vote.”
But as images of a massive space rock that vibrate in the earth send vibrations into your spine, they breathe deeply.
“Asteroid 2018VP1 is very small, about 6.5 meters, and poses no threat to Earth!” NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office tweeted on 23 August. “It currently has a 0.41 [percent] chance to enter the atmosphere of our planet, but if it did, it would disappear due to its extremely small size. “
Sky-scanning researchers discovered 2018 VP1 at the Zwicky Transient Facility at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in 2018. Due to its small size, scientists have had a hard time tracking the object and planning the trajectory.
NASA launched its Near-Earth Object Observations Program in 1998 and has since discovered about 19,000 near-Earth objects. In 2005, Congress asked the bureau to find 90 percent of all near-Earth asteroids about 460 feet or larger. These rocky bodies are large enough to, at the very least, cause regional damage to the planet and destabilize the global atmosphere and affect crop production.
Within the category of near-Earth objects, NASA also tracks potentially dangerous objects. These asteroids – like Bennu, the asteroid at the center of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission – are anywhere from 100 to 160 meters wide and are expected to reach within 5 million miles of Earth. Fortunately, none of these asteroids are planned to be “tried” soon.
The closest ever recorded approach by an asteroid occurred just last week on August 16, when 2020 QG flew 1,830 miles above the earth’s surface. Scientists from Zwicky saw the SUV-sized asteroid about 6 hours after the close call when it declined from Earth. However, if 2020 QG swung into the Earth’s atmosphere, it would be on fire.
So there you have it: 2018 VP1 will not destroy our planet before election day, although it would certainly be appropriate. You can still exercise your civic duty on 3 November.
You might as well go over
