Four Asteroids Flew By Earth: What Dangers Do This Pose?

Potential, hazardous asteroids have been detected approaching closer to Earth's atmosphere. Three of them have been discovered recently. Although astronomers assured the public that the asteroids won't be anywhere near the planet, some people are worried about what asteroids can bring despite the distance from Earth.

In reality, there is no enough time to prepare when asteroids hit the Earth. In history, there had been a collision, and the species had been wiped out after that. Despite having advanced technology, the world and its people are not ready for armageddon. 

On Monday, September 30, 2019, astronomers stationed at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona have identified Asteroid 2019 SM8. At approximately 9:56 a.m. EDT, it flew past the Earth, according to NASA's report. It was at its closest distance to Earth by 99,000 miles. This distance can be compared to at least half the average distance the Earth from the moon has. In the report, the asteroid is about 4.8 meters in diameter, one that is the size of a regular SUV.

An hour later, another new asteroid has been spotted, which flew pass by Earth in a rather close distance. Asteroid 2019 SE8 was also identified by astronomers from Mount Lemmon  just a few hours before it made a close contact with Earth at 11:12 a.m. EDT on October 1, 2019. The second asteroid was at its closest to earth at a distance of 674,000 miles from Earth. The distance is three times more than the average distance of the Earth from the moon. Meanwhile, NASA estimated that this asteroid has a diameter of about 14 meters, which is way bigger than Asteroid 2019 SM8. Although the distance seems a bit closer to Earth, astronomers said these asteroids are not a threat to the planet. 

On October 2, 2019, astronomers were expecting their new found asteroid 2019 SD8 to pass by Earth at 331,000 miles at around 10:29 p.m. EDT. Astronomers stationed at the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona discovered this space rock just before it has its close encounter with Earth. The size of this asteroid is much like that of a bus at 38 feet in diameter. 

Among all the four asteroids, Asteroid  2018 FK5 is the only one that has always been known to pass by Earth long before the others were discovered. This is the rock that is farthest from Earth at a distance of 3 million miles. At 6:56 p.m. EDT, astronomers at Mount Lemmon who discovered and named this asteroid would be very glad to see this 24-foot wide asteroid. 

None of the four asteroids are expected to hit Earth as they pass by, but the space agency NASA still classifies them as "potentially hazardous asteroids". These rocks may still potentially hit Earth in the future if their orbit intersects again. 

NASA continues to explore space and actively scan the atmosphere for possible asteroid that may hit Earth in the future. Further studies will hopefully provide more information about asteroids to help the experts come up with an emergency response plan. Astronomers may not be able to help stop an asteroid from hitting Earth in the future, but they could help reduce the threats by preparing everyone for the possibility of it coming.