The Huge Asteroid that will Pass By Earth in April
The Huge Asteroid that will Pass By Earth in April
Asteroid 52768 also known as 1998 OR2 has an orbit time around the Sun of about 3 years and 8 months. It has an eccentric orbit. After earth, it will also pass by Mars. It is about 16 times farther away from the earth than the moon. It is over 4 kilometres wide and by far the largest Asteroid to fly past Earth this year.

Asteroids are minor planets, that orbit in the inner solar system. Larger Asteroids at times have also been called Planetoids. Most Asteroids orbit the sun in the Asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Since both of them orbit the sun and have a tendency to pass by the Earth, Asteroids are often mistaken for Comets. The main difference between comets and asteroids is their composition; Comets are made up of pf ice and dust whereas Asteroids are made up of rocky minerals.

The huge asteroid that will pass by earth in April is called 1998 OR2. It will be visible on April 28th 2020 at 1800 UTC. It is classified as a PHO ( Potentially Hazardous Object) and NEO (Near-Earth Object). 

As the name suggests Near-Earth Objects are those small bodies in the Solar system that get closer to less than 1.3 astronomical units ( 1 astronomical unit is equal to 150 million kilometres or 98 million miles). Potentially Hazardous objects are Near-Earth objects that will cause significant damage to a region in case of Impact. 98% of known Potentially Hazardous objects are not a threat to Earth for the next 100 years. The last known largest PHO to have been in close proximity to earth is the Florence 3122.

Even though the asteroid is classified to be a PHO, Astronomers claim that it is safe for at least the next 200 years.  In this April, the asteroid that will pass by Earth is at least 4 million miles(6 million kilometres) away. 

This asteroid will not be visible with the unaided system, but with the help of 6-inch or 8-inch telescopes, you can observe the sluggish moving Asteroid in front of the stars. 

Just in case you don’t have a personal telescope, you can watch the asteroid move online in by The Virtual Telescope Project in Rome.

The Biggest Asteroid of 2020 to fly by Earth Current Affairs 2020 #UPSC

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