An asteroid that is the size of a football stadium is headed towards the Earth and is poised for a rather close encounter towards the end of this year. It is reportedly hurtling into space at the speed of 27,560 miles per hour. At this rate, it is expected to be near the Earth within three months making a close approach of the planet in late September.
This is known as the asteroid 2006 QV89, the space rock that has found its way into the news when the European Space Agency (ESA) put it under the risk list. It has been estimated to measure 131 feet in diameter, the asteroid is currently ranked 4th in ESA's risk list of the asteroid that may hit the Earth The ESA has a list of Near Earth Asteroids (NEA). it includes rocks that also circle the sun in what seems like an orbital path that allows them to approach the Earth is rather close proximity.
According to the statement released by Science Alert, the reason for this asteroid to be in included in the NEA list and rank fourth is because of its chance of coming a little too close for comfort during its impending flyby Earth in September. In a recent report released by ESA, they stated that the asteroid 2006 QV89 comes with a very strong risk of slamming into Earth instead of flying by it through its journey around the sun.
The news of this asteroid has circulated on the Internet and has caused concern due to its alarming headlines. However, numerous media outlets have tried to clarify the details of such to clarify concerns and discuss the possible impact and its risks. The ESA also clarified that although the asteroid has been included in the Near Earth Asteroids risk, the actual distance of this nearness is far from what people conceive it to be.
"There is no need to freak out over an asteroid that might hit us in September," Scient Alert reported in the 8th of June 2019.
It was on August 29, 2006, when this asteroid 2006 QV89 was first discovered. Since then, it has long been observed and was put under the radar both by NASA and the ESA primarily with its asteroid trackers. After analyzing the orbit that the asteroid spins around, scientists were able to determine that it will fly by the planet Earth on September 26, 2019, around 7:03 am.
Its current orbital path model shows that the space rock will pass by the Earth with an approximate distance of 4.25 million miles from the planet's surface. This distance can be likened to that distance of the Earth to the moon and multiplied it by 17.84 times. This is to clarify the distance perspective that may comfort people who are worried that it might hit the surface of the Earth as earlier reported.
"The asteroid has a very tiny chance of hitting the Earth's surface," CNET clarifies.
