Asteroid 2020 SW To Make Close Approach To Earth
Space

Asteroid 2020 SW To Make Close Approach To Earth

The asteroid 2020 SW got very close to the Earth on September 24, when it whizzed by our planet closer than the moon orbits.

The asteroid, named 2020 SW, passed the Earth closer than the moon’s distance, and even closer than some geostationary satellites, according to EarthSky.

The asteroid 2020 SW wasn’t expected to collide with the Earth, according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. However, it got close, passing about 16,700 miles (27,000 kilometers) away from the Earth, according to the Virtual Telescope Project.

The moon locates at an average of 238,900 miles (384,000 km) from us. The asteroid 2020 SW passed at a distance of about 2.1 Earths, which means that this asteroid passed even closer than TV satellites, which orbit at about 22,300 miles (35,888 km) away from Earth, according to EarthSky.

Researchers have not yet identified the asteroid’s exact size, but it’s not that large, likely between 4.4 and 9.9 meters long, according to CNEOS. This probably RV-size asteroid was discovered on September 18, by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona.

Passing by the Earth was actually a life-changing event for asteroid 2020 SW. The asteroid 2020 SW is such a small that the Earth’s gravity was expected to change the space rock’s course when it zooms by our planet at 7:18 a.m. EDT (11:18 UTC), according to EarthSky.

After asteroid approaching with the Earth, it won’t visit our planet until June 3, 2029, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

However, the asteroid was definitely rushing to see us on Thursday, traveling at a speed of about 27,720 km/h relative to the Earth, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported.

The asteroid appeared brighter when it neared the Earth, but it wasn’t visible to the unaided eye. For those, who wanted to see the asteroid clearer, The Virtual Telescope website, showed a live broadcast starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23.

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