Massive Asteroid Comes Close to Earth This Month, Traveling at a Staggering Speed

Massive Asteroid Comes Close to Earth This Month, Traveling at a Staggering Speed
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Asteroids are often coming close enough to our planet, and most of them are harmless. Perhaps someone or something is protecting us. Jupiter is one of those factors, as the gas giant’s gravity acts like a vacuum cleaner of the solar system.

Another “potentially hazardous” asteroid will approach Earth this month, and it travels at great speed. But just as any other large asteroid that had been approaching our planet in the history of mankind, it cannot become the subject of an apocalyptic movie.

The 2016 AJ193 asteroid won’t hit the Earth

The asteroid in question is 2016 AJ193, as revealed by LifeHacker. Although it measures almost a mile wide and it hurtles through space at over 58,000 mph, Earth is not in its trajectory.

Credit: Pixabay.com, Thomas Breher
Credit: Pixabay.com, Thomas Breher

The closest encounter of the 2016 AJ193 asteroid with our planet will happen on August 23 at 11:10 a.m. ET. Due to the relatively close distance, the asteroid is considered a Near-Earth Object (NEO).

You can spot the asteroid in the sky if you’re lucky enough and if you have some fancy gear at your disposal. A little telescope aimed towards the heavens will do the job just well. The best moment for such a privilege will be before sunrise.

As the name itself suggests, the 2016 AJ193 asteroid was discovered in 2016. The Panoramic Survey Telescope as well as the Rapid Response System from the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii were the gears used for the discovery.

The world won’t end in 2021, as far as we know. Or at least you’ll have to place your bet on some other event to get the job done. However, an asteroid such as 2016 AJ193 that measures almost a mile wide is capable of causing some serious damage.


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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.

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