A giant “planet killer” asteroid will make a close approach to Earth today (June 27), whizzing past the planet at about 58,000 miles per hour (93,000 kilometers per hour). The “potentially hazardous” mountain-sized object is one of the largest space rocks to come close to Earth in over a century, and you can watch the close encounter live.
Asteroid 2011 UL21 is a near-Earth asteroid whose orbit occasionally brings it within 1.3 astronomical units (AU) of Earth. Sun This is roughly 1.3 times the average distance between Earth and the Sun.
The rock orbits our host star once every three years, and based on past observations, it is between 1.1 and 2.4 miles (1.7 and 3.9 kilometers) wide. Space ReferenceThis means that it is larger than 99% of near-Earth asteroids. European Space Agency (ESA).
The 2011 UL21 is probably at least 10 times lower. The largest space rock to hit EarthIt is about one-fifth the size of the Vredefort asteroid. Made the dinosaurs extinct About 66 million years ago.
However, while the potential impact of 2011 UL21 is less extreme than these historical impacts, the asteroid could still cause continent-scale damage and release enough debris into the atmosphere to trigger significant climate change, which is why it’s considered a “planet killer.”
Asteroid 2011 UL21 is expected to pass by Earth at a distance of about 4.1 million miles (6.6 million kilometers), making it its first close approach to Earth in at least 110 years. Simulation by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At this distance, Potentially dangerous objects That’s 17 times farther away than NASA estimated. Moon.
While the space rock poses no present or future threat to Earth, it’s intriguing because it’s likely one of the 10 largest asteroids to have passed within 4.7 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth since 1900. Gianluca MasiAstrophysicist and director of the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP) Recent Statements.
Related: A “planet killer” asteroid is hiding in the sunlight. Can we stop it in time?
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The closest approach of UL21 in 2011 was Free Live Stream VTP will broadcast footage of the asteroid from the Bellatrix Observatory in Ceccano, Italy. The broadcast is expected to begin at 4pm ET on June 27, with a close approach to the asteroid 15 minutes later.
You might even be able to spot an asteroid in the night sky. A decent telescopeIt will be at its brightest on June 28th and 29th and will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Where to lookAt its brightest, it will be as luminous as Proxima Centauri, the star closest to the Sun, according to VTP.
The next time 2011 UL21 will get this close to Earth will be in 2089, when JPL simulations show the space rock will come within 1.7 million miles (2.7 million km) of Earth — more than 2.5 times closer than it is today.
There is zero chance that any known planet-destroying asteroid will hit Earth At least for the next 1000 yearsBut in the coming years, there will be more collision hazards from smaller asteroids, such as Apophis, asteroid big enough to wipe out entire cities. It will come closer to Earth than some satellites in 2029.