NASA Classifies Asteroid Approaching Earth 'Potentially Hazardous'; When Does Near-Earth Object Become Threat?

Asteroids are sometimes called little planets that are rocky and floating in the Solar System, particularly between Mars and Jupiter. However, they come with so much risk. The last time an asteroid hit the Earth, it caused the massive extinction of dinosaurs that had lived on the planet for millions of years ago.

NASA is monitoring any asteroid that may come near Earth to avoid the worst possible scenario if ever another asteroid hits the planet. Currently, a potentially hazardous asteroid is approaching Earth at such high speed.

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Potentially Hazardous Asteroid Is Approaching Earth: When Does A Near-Earth Object Become a Threat to the Planet?

Will Asteroid 2016 AJ193 Hit Earth?

NASA has classified asteroid 2016 AJ193 as a potentially hazardous asteroid that could cause significant damage to Earth if it hits the planet's surface.

According to WION, the asteroid is cruising at a speed of 94,208 km/hr towards the planet's neighborhood. Although asteroid 2016 AJ193 is only 1.4 kilometers wide, its speed packs a serious punch that could be destructible.

On the other hand, there is no need to prepare for the end of humankind just yet, as it will just drive by at a distance that is nine times between Earth and Moon. It is expected to pass by Earth on August 21.

Astronomers will be able to see the asteroid using telescopes as its distance from Earth will not make it too far to observe.

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When Does an Asteroid Become a Potentially Hazardous Object to Earth?

According to NASA, a near-Earth object (NEO) is an asteroid or comet that enters the zone of approximately 91 million and 121 million miles from the Sun and passes within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit. On average, asteroids and comets measuring 3 feet hit Earth's atmosphere almost every day, giving people the meteor show every night.

Most of them come from the asteroid belt that is tens of millions of light-years away from the planet and was altered by the gravitational force from Mars and Jupiter.

Usually, parts of an asteroid just disintegrate in the Earth's atmosphere even before hitting the ground. However, larger NEOs about 98 feet to 164 feet could cause widespread damage and destroy areas.

NASA classifies a NEO to be a Potentially Hazardous Object (PHO) when it is 4.7 million miles of the Earth's orbit and measures more than 500 feet. So far, the space agency has not identified any asteroid yet that poses a significant risk to Earth over the next century.

The risk that an asteroid could pose a significant threat to Earth is a 1-in-714 chance. It was designated to asteroid 2009 FD that is expected to happen in 2185. This means that there is less than 0.2% that the asteroid will hit Earth in that time.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) monitors NEOs and maintains the Sentry Impact Risk Table that is continuously updated as new asteroids are discovered, and known ones are observed.

NASA is studying up close one particular asteroid, called Bennu, that has a 1-in-2700 chance of hitting Earth between 2175 and 2195. They had sent a spacecraft named OSIRIS-REx, to complete a 2-year investigation of the asteroid before taking a sample and deliver it back to Earth.

All in all, Science Focus reported that the International Astronomical Union has already listed a total of 1,489 potentially hazardous asteroids. However, a survey by NASA's WISE satellite suggested that there could be at least 4,700 of them in the Solar System.