According to
NASA, an unusually big asteroid 2019 EA2 will make its close approach to Earth
at 01:58 UTC on March 22. The asteroid is expected to flyby our planet at a
speed of 5.37 km/s at a distance of 305 179 km, which is 80 000 km less than
our distance from the Moon.
Asteroid EA2
was first discovered on March 9, 2019. It belongs to the Aten group of
asteroids (a dynamical group of asteroids whose orbits bring them into
proximity with Earth.) and could be up to 39 meters wide. Astronomers mark that
this will be the closest approach of EA2 to Earth in the last 112 years.
In most
cases, asteroids approaching Earth are too small and difficult to capture, but
Asteroid EA2 is large enough to spot it well in advance. You can find it in the
sky with the help of a telescope - the asteroid’s slow speed makes the process
easier.
Happy
hunting!
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