An asteroid came within 32,000 miles of Earth on Sunday
Jan 31, 2017, 12:54 PM
(NASA Photo)
(NASA Photo)
Did you know there are well over 1,700 near-Earth asteroids that could pose a danger to Earth?
As we were going about our business on Sunday, a small asteroid known as 2017 BH30 — which is the size of a small truck — passed by Earth.
The alarming news regarding this object is that it was discovered ONLY a day before its closest pass ever to Earth!
The small piece of stone and metal passed within 32,000 miles of our home planet. That is just above the line of geosynchronous satellites which orbit about 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface and six times closer than the moon.
Do not let the relative small size of the object go without concern, as a larger asteroid-like body exploded over Russia in 2013, causing a lot of property damage and injury to people on the ground.
The asteroid is part of a larger group of asteroids, know as Apollo asteroids, which cross the orbit of Earth and need to be monitored on a regular basis. One of the facilities that keeps an eye on these objects, the Catalina Sky Survey, is right here in Arizona.
Another Apollo asteroid, 2012 TC4, could pass within 16,000 miles of Earth, but only time will tell!
Get your very own Dr. Sky February star chart.
