Two rare asteroid Two asteroids will pass close by Earth this week, just within 42 hours of each other.
These space rocks are classified as “potentially hazardous” because of their size and orbit, but that doesn’t mean they pose a danger. Imminent threat to Earth.
In fact, both satellites would travel safely at thousands of miles per hour, and according to the European Space Agency, there’s zero chance of either satellite colliding with Earth.
Neither asteroid is visible to the naked eye, but may be spotted with a telescope or binoculars, Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist and founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, told Business Insider in an email.
Alternatively, you can tune in via a livestream hosted by The Virtual Telescope Project.
use This link Starting at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27, watch asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 pass close to Earth.
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and This link Watch the pass of asteroid 2024 MK on Saturday, June 29th starting at 5pm ET.
Mountain Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21
Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 is Largest asteroid In a press statement, Masi said the asteroid recently passed close to Earth.
With an estimated diameter of about 1.4 miles, this mountain-sized space rock is larger than 99 percent of all known rocks. Near Earth ObjectsAccording to the European Space Agency.
Asteroid 2011 UL21 isPlanet KillerIt has a radius of at least 1.2 miles wide. If it were to collide with Earth, it could cause continent-sized damage and kick up enough dust to cause significant climate change for years, LiveScience reports. report.
For example, the Chicxulub asteroid believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs was about 6.5 miles in diameter and caused global warming. Estimation 100,000 years after the impact.
![Asteroid impact](https://www.sciencealert.com/images/2023/06/AsteroidImpact-642x260.jpg)
Luckily, there’s nothing to worry about on Thursday, as 2011 UL21 won’t get too close – it will pass Earth at a safe distance of just over 4 million miles. Distance between the Earth and the MoonMasi wrote.
But the flyby is notable because 2011 UL21 ranks among the top 10 asteroids to have passed Earth closely in the past 125 years, he added.
Newly discovered asteroid 2024 MK
Asteroid 2024 MK First discovered Earlier this month, the asteroid was due to pass extremely close to Earth, just 13 days before, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
It is much smaller than 2011 UL21, with an estimated diameter of between 390 and 885 feet, roughly the length of one to two and a half football fields.
But what the asteroid lacks in size, it should make up for in brightness: It will come within 184,000 miles of Earth, which is about 77% of the average distance between Earth and the Moon, Masi wrote.
Because it’s close, The brightest object He added that this type of phenomenon has not been observed in recent history.
This article is Business Insider.
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