An asteroid astronauts refer to as the 2000 QW7 was expected to fly by Earth close enough that it could be visible in the Earth's atmosphere. Though it has a safe distance of 3.3 million mile, which could basically be translated to 5.3 million kilometers as a form of measurement on earth, the asteroid was seen passing by the Earth's atmosphere through Slooh, an astronomy broadcaster.
The distance of this asteroid from Earth is roughly 14 times the average distance of the Earth from the moon. NASA, the space agency, has issued an announcement to reassure the public that such types of asteroids getting too close to Earth is practically normal. This is to advise the public not to panic. The closest approach the asteroid has based on the record of NASA was at 7:45pm of Saturday, September 14, 2019.
Slooh has started showing the asteroid at least an hour before it was expected to pass by Earth. Slooh provided a link and made it available for users to log into at 7p.m. last night. They were guided by the astronomer Paul Cox and several other experts in space as special guests to provide explanations as to why asteroids as such pass by too close to the Earth. They also talked about how the passing of these asteroids could pose risks to the life on this planet. The broadcast last night also included the live view of the Comet C/2018 W2 (Africano), considered as 2019's brightest comet yet.
This space rock is about 950 feet and 2,100 feet in diameter. It isn't the first time that Asteroid 2000 QW7 flew by Earth. It already did it back in 2000 when astronomers first identified it. Scientists expect that the asteroid wont approach the planet until 2038. The asteroid falls under the medium category of asteroid by NASA, which basically includes other space rocks from at least 460 feet in size.
While an asteroid of this size may bring catastrophic effects if ever it hit the surface of the Earth, scientists know how asteroids like it travel within an orbit, which makes it nearly impossible that it will hit Earth. This is to reassure the public that it made a safe passage last night and that the planet is safe from it in 2038.
NASA, along with other space agencies in the world, continue to identify and keep track of space rocks to ensure that the Earth is safe from any form of catastrophic encounter in the future.
