After the God of Destruction Apophis aka the largest asteroid of 2021, another Asteroid has been detected heading towards the Earth. Although it is coming at a much faster pace than the earlier ones, it will pass safely from a distance of about 3.4 million kilometers from the Earth, according to NASA.
The NASA scientists have confirmed that the new asteroid, named AF8 is the size of a football field. Its size is estimated to be between 260 to 580 meters. Reportedly, the size of AF8 is way smaller than massive asteroids which have passed by the Earth, but it is potent to cause harm and is deemed dangerous by the scientist.
First found by the scientists in the month of March, this asteroid will pass by the Earth on May 4. It will travel at a velocity of 9 km per second.
According to NASA JPL, AF8 is a “Potentially Hazardous Asteroid” due to its predicted shut cross(es) with Earth. Its orbit is determined by observations dating back to December 25, 2020. It was last officially observed on March 4, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center record’s 157 observations were used to decide its orbit.
On March 21, the biggest asteroid 2001 FO32 which was 2,230 feet (680 meters) wide passed across the Earth at a safe range of 1.25 million miles (2 million kilometers). According to NASA, it won't come this close to Earth again until 2052.
On March 23, three asteroids came across the planet. The largest of the three space rocks, 2021 FH was the size of a house. NASA estimated the asteroid's diameter was between 39 feet and 89 feet (12 meters to 27 meters), or about the length of a semi-truck. It passed by Earth at a distance of roughly 145,940 miles (234,870 kilometers), or 0.61 times the average Earth-moon distance.
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