A potentially hazardous asteroid is going to come into our neighborhood in space as it will come close to the earth tonight . NASA keeps an eye on the asteroid that are zooming past or hurtling towards the earth. The cruising speed is 94,000 km per hour. Asteroid 2016 AJ193 is headed towards the Earth. The asteroid is just 1.4 kilometre wide but due to its speed. Its size is bigger than the Burj Khalifa. The asteroid is going to drive by a distance nine times between Earth and moon. Astronomers will be able to look at the asteroid through a telescope. NASA has predicted its orbital track and expects no harm to the planet this time.
Asteroids are rocky fragments left over from the formation of the solar system about a billion years ago. According to NASA ,Joint Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) tracks asteroid movement. It is classified as earth’s near object; its distance from our planet is 1.3 times the distance from Earth to Sun (the distance of earth to sun is about 93 million miles).The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) located at Haleakala Observatory spotted the first asteroid. According to Earth sky astronomers noticed that the asteroid is very dark and not reflective and the rotation period ,pole direction and spectral class are unknown. As an asteroid gets relatively close to earth’s surface it orbits around the sun every 5.9 years but then travels beyond the orbit of Jupiter. NASA tracks over 26000 near earth asteroids and over 1000 are considered as potentially hazardous. The potentially hazardous object will next come in 2063.The August 21st will be the asteroid’s closest approach to Earth at least for the 65 years, the longest period for which its orbit has been calculated.
The earth sky reported that earth is in its approximated path but it will not hit the planet. The asteroid will pass the earth by 8.9 lunar distance. By studying the orbit of the asteroid there is no chance of colliding with earth. NASA astronomers will observe the asteroid using radar. The asteroid is not visible through naked eye but it is close enough for astronomers to spot and study it.
