This is the video of the close encounter of Asteroid 2019 OK we have been Twitting all day with the Earth: https://t.co/bjT7uhQJuOpic.twitter.com/3e4UyPcdPl
— ASAS-SN (@SuperASASSN) July 25, 2019
We have been getting a lot of close calls with asteroids of late, with each one drifting ever nearer our terrestrial space. The most recent one happened last Thursday when Asteroid 2019 OK sped past the Earth at a distance of about 70,000 kilometers which might seem far but it’s a lot closer to us than the Moon.
Due to the trajectory of the asteroid – flying towards us from the direction of the sun – astronomers had no warning it was headed our way. It is the largest rock to fly at such close quarters to the Earth this year, and possibly for many years.
Astronomers believe the asteroid is between 57 and 130 metres in diameter. Telescopes only began to pick it up a couple of days ago, with a confirmation it was an asteroid only coming in the past 24 hours.
Had it been on a collision course with Earth, its impact would have decimated a city, according to astronomers. There were other asteroids who had also passed by Earth but 2019 OK was the closest. -via PS Mag
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(Image credit: ASAS-SN/Twitter)
Source: neatorama