Asteroid Alert: Ten Space Rocks That Will Make Close Approach To Earth This Year (Representative Image) (Photo Credit: Pixabay.com)
New Delhi:
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Asteroids frequently visit Earth’s neighbourhood as our planet’s gravitational forces affect them. Asteroids can bring tsunamis, shock waves and flattening winds that could be catastrophic. Asteroids, if hit Earth, can bring tsunamis, shock waves and flattening winds that could be catastrophic. The space rocks approach towards the Earth due to the gravitational forces that affect them. It is said that one day all life on the Earth will be extinct. Not only life, but the Earth will also extinct someday and an asteroid could be the possible reason. Shocked to hear that? However, a car-sized asteroid slams into the Earth's atmosphere about once in a year. On the other hand, an asteroid large enough to threaten the existence of life on Earth arrives once every few million.
In 2019, many giant asteroids including 2019 OK, 2019 OD, 2015 HM10, 2019 OE, 2019 NN3, 2019 MB4, 2019 MT2, 2006 QV89, 2016 NO56M, RF12, and others approached towards the Earth, fortunately, did not hit our planet.
Well, bygones are bygones. Like last year, 2020 will witness the close approaches of some deadly asteroids. News Nation brings you the list of asteroids that will come dangerously close to Earth. Take a look:
Asteroid (2019 UO): Measure somewhere between 250 metre to 560 metre, the space rock will come close to Earth on January 10, 2020 at the speed of 33,840 kph.
Asteroid 163373 (2002 PZ39): Measure somewhere between 440-990 metre, the space rock will approach Earth on 15 February 2020.
Asteroid (2012 XA133): Measured somewhere between 180 metre to 390 metre, the space rock will come close to Earth on March 27, 2020 at an impressively 85,212 kph.
Asteroid 363599 (2004 FG11): Measured somewhere between 170 metre to 380 metre, the space rock will be making its approach to Earth at 88,164 kph on April 11, 2020.
Asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2): The four-kilometre wide space rock will travel towards earth at a speed of 31,320 kilometres per hour (kph). It is expected to come close to Earth on April 29, 2020.
Asteroid 438908 (2009 XO): Measured somewhere between 210 metre to 470 metre, the space rock will come close to Earth on May 7, 2020 at a speed of 46,008 kph.
Asteroid 388945 (2008 TZ3): Measured somewhere between 210 metre to 470 metre, the space rock will come close to Earth on May 10, 2020 at a speed of 31,608 kph.
Asteroid 136795 (1997 BQ): A kilometre wide space rock will travel towards earth at a speed of 42,048 kph. It is expected to come close to Earth on May 21, 2020.
Asteroid 163348 (2002 NN4): Measured somewhere between 250 metre to 570 metre, the space rock will come close to Earth on June 6, 2020.
Also Read: Hubble Telescope Snaps Supermassive Black Hole With Active Galactic Nucleus
Asteroid 153201 (2000 WO107): Measured somewhere between 370 metre to 820 metre, the space rock will come close to Earth on November 29, 2020.
