Posted on 04/04/2020 12:23:13 PM PDT by DoodleBob
The huge "potentially hazardous" asteroid 1998 OR2 is just a few weeks away from its close encounter with Earth, and you can watch the giant space rock's approach online or with a small telescope.
While asteroid 1998 OR2 is large enough to wreak havoc on Earth if it were to strike our planet, it won't come anywhere near a collision when it flies by on April 29.
"On April 29, asteroid 1998 OR2 will safely pass by 3.9 million miles/6.2 million kilometers," scientists with NASA's Asteroid Watch program said in a Twitter update as they debunked a Daily Express report warning of the flyby. "There is no warning about this asteroid," they added in another Twitter post.
NASA estimates that the asteroid is between 1.1 miles and 2.5 miles (1.8 to 4.1 kilometers) wide. According to Asteroid Watch, 1998 OR2 will pass and that it will pass by at a safe distance that is more than 16 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. While NASA classifies asteroids that come within less than 4.6 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth as "potentially hazardous," there's nothing to worry about with 1998 OR2.
"The orbit is well understood and it will pass harmlessly at 16 times the distance to our moon," NASA wrote on Twitter. "No one should have any concern about it."
The asteroid is currently too faint to see with most backyard telescopes, but it has been visible in larger telescopes for a while.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Now, if Fauci were making the prediction, he’d say we have a shot at being hit!
Sheesh, now there will be a run on deflector shields at Costco.
16 times the distance to the Moon. Not exactly close.
I'm more worried about how much weight I'm going to put on during COVID-19.
unNEWS from NASA?
The larger ones that shoot by inside the orbit of the Moon make me pay attention.
Please stop sending that to me.
Time for Congress to pass the Asteroid Relief Bill.
I’m scared out of my wits! Tell me when to come out from under the bed.
Maybe everybody should buy a hardhat...just in case.
Over 80 near misses last year. We live in a cosmic shootiing gallery. Global warming is silly compared to this threat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_asteroid_close_approaches_to_Earth_in_2019
Now!
Geez. Don’t you ever post good news?
Shelter in place! If you can’t, at least wear some kind of hat. :)
“As it races through the cosmos at more than 19,000 mph”
Must be using nitrous.
God got sick of us and decided it’s time to give the insects a chance. Due to filing mix-up, can’t figure out what killed the dinosaurs, a virus, a meteor, a volcano, a flood, starvation, so is planning to hit us with everything this year just to be sure.
When they find one that will pass within 75 feet of the Earth, then I'll be concerned.
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