Asteroid Measuring 33 Meters Wide Approaches Earth

Asteroid Measuring 33 Meters Wide Approaches Earth
SHARE

Unfortunately, Earth is still pretty much vulnerable in the face of huge asteroids that might collide with us one day, as scientists still haven’t fully figured out how to deal with such “wiseguys.” The Solar System is huge, and it can sometimes provide some unwanted surprises for us. 

Asteroid 2022 QP3 is now approaching our planet, and it measures about 33 meters wide, according to hindustantimes.com. If it hits, it will surely cause some significant damage to our planet. But luckily enough, it seems that someone up there still loves us.

Asteroid 2022 QP3 will safely pass by Earth

Asteroid 2022 QP3 doesn’t have our planet in its trajectory, as the space rock will safely pass by in just two days: this Sunday, August 28. The asteroid hurtles through space at an incredible velocity of over 28,000 kilometers per hour. 

While we’re once again safe, we should keep in mind that big asteroids are constantly approaching our planet. For instance, we spoke in a recent article posted on August 11 about the 2015 FF asteroid, and it also has some significant dimensions: somewhere between 13 and 28 meters in diameter. 2015 FF zipped past our planet on August 12 at 20,512 mph.

In early August, we even spoke about another asteroid the size of a skyscraper that was approaching Earth.

Apart from their destructive potential, asteroids can also serve scientific purposes. One good example is represented by the 16 Psyche asteroid, as it’s rich in metals such as iron and nickel. Astronomers have been aiming even since 2019 to explore the asteroid as much as possible.

Saverio Cambioni from MIT explained:

Psyche’s surface is very heterogeneous,

It’s an evolved surface, and these maps confirm that metal-rich asteroids are interesting enigmatic worlds. It’s another reason to look forward to the Psyche mission going to the asteroid.

The asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter is also the place estimated to contain between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids that are larger than 1 kilometer in diameter.


SHARE

Even since he was a child, Cristian was staring curiously at the stars, wondering about the Universe and our place in it. Today he's seeing his dream come true by writing about the latest news in astronomy. Cristian is also glad to be covering health and other science topics, having significant experience in writing about such fields.

Post Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.