This weekend, an asteroid that NASA considers potentially dangerous will make a relatively close approach to Earth.
On August 21, around 11:10 am EDT, the asteroid named 2016 AJ193, which is estimated to be approximately 4,500 feet in diameter, will fly over the Earth at more than 58,000 miles per hour. NASA has classified the asteroid as potentially dangerous. However, the asteroid will pass through the Earth approximately nine times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has classified more than 27,000 asteroids close to Earth as of August 15th. CNEOS says about 1,000 of these asteroids close to Earth have a diameter greater than 3,280. As for the 2016 AJ193, its orbit is calculated to fly to Earth every six years. CNEOS states on its website that “the threat to anyone from car accidents, disease, other natural disasters, and a variety of other problems is far greater than the threat of NEOs (Near Earth Objects).“
For more information on this story, see this link here.