An asteroid that is said to be a size of a truck just flew past Earth just hours after it was discovered. It passed closer to our planet’s surface than the ring of large communications satellites in orbit. The space visitor is named asteroid 2021 RS2 and measures 7 to 17 feet in diameter.
The asteroid came within 16,000 kilometers of the Earth’s surface, which is twice as close as the orbit on which big satellites revolve. This encounter is slightly closer than a smaller asteroid that flew by in February this year.
No threat to our planet
This cosmic visitor was hurtling at a speed of over 39,000 miles per hour (18km per second). Mt. Lemmon Survey in Arizona originally spotted it, just before it made a close approach. Even if it entered the Earth’s atmosphere, it wouldn’t have survived. Asteroids like 2021 RS2 aren’t a threat to Earth, but scientists say it’s one that wasn’t discovered and that’s something to worry about.
Previously, a team of scientists led by Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution of Science found the fastest moving asteroid in our solar system. The space rock is just 1 km across in size and is dubbed 2021 PH27. It orbits the Sun in only 113 Earth days.
Will an asteroid hit Earth?
It has the shortest orbital period of any known celestial object, except for Mercury, which orbits the Sun in just 88 days. The discovery would enable astronomers to learn more about other asteroids in the solar system, where they came from, and their composition. Since 2021 PH27 has come so close to the Sun that its surface heats up to a whopping 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Recently, NASA scientist Kelly Fast, as an asteroid expert, gave her take on the question, “Will an asteroid ever hit Earth?” She said: “Yes, asteroids have hit Earth over the course of its history and it will happen again.” But with time we’re getting better at spotting and tracking potentially hazardous space rocks. Space agencies are also trying to figure out an asteroid defense system to deflect massive space rocks coming towards Earth.
