Everest-sized Asteroid to pass by Earth! Check time of intersection, concerns and all other details

According to the data provided by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, today, April 29, 2020, an Everest-sized Asteroid 1998 OR2 will travel by Earth. NASA and other researchers ruled out any possible asteroid-related danger to the earth. The space agency said that Asteroid 52768, also known as 1998 OR2, which is about 8 to 4.1 kilometers long, will be crossing past Earth today afternoon, 6.2 million kilometers away. The giant asteroid will fly at a speed of 19,461 miles per hour according to the information provided by NASA. The NASA exchanged data confirmed at 5:56 AM that the Asteroid will be nearest to planet Earth that roughly translates Wednesday to 3:26 PM IST.

Despite its large size, it would be almost invisible to the naked eye due to the distance and speed at which it will fly. Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has captured a radar image of the asteroid 1998 OR2, which is also added to the top of this document, according to the space agency. The Arecibo Observatory is the second-largest single-dish radio telescope in the world.

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Studies Center has classified the asteroid 1998 OR2 as the ‘potentially hazardous object’ as it flies at regular intervals past Surface’s earth. In particular, about 125 other objects were found to be potentially hazardous.

However, just because the Asteroid is deemed potentially dangerous doesn’t mean that people on Earth have cause for concern or worry. The asteroid, as mentioned earlier, would travel by earth at a distance of 6.2 million kilometres, which is very far away. The distance between Earth and Moon is 3.85,000 km; compared with that the 1998 OR2 asteroid would be about 16 times farther from Earth. By definition, NASA classifies any object which comes within 19.5 times the distance between Earth and Moon as ‘Potentially Hazardous.’

It would be invisible to the naked eye, despite the distance at which the Asteroid 1998 OR2 is predicted to fly-past earth. One will need at least a 6-inch or 8-inch telescope and clear skies to view the asteroid from earth. Alternatively, the Rome Virtual Telescope Project, will also broadcast Asteroid’s fly-by online live. To get to the website from where you can watch the asteroid fly-by on your screen or smartphone, click here.