Two asteroids are expected to pass very close to Earth this week and both are unusually giant for the areas they will pass through. You can even be visual with little more than binoculars.
The first is an asteroid classified 2011 UL21, which is more than a mile wide and larger than 99% of the millions of known near-Earth objects (NEOs). Near-Earth objects are elements that are approximately 28 million kilometers from Earth’s orbit and that hint at their own trail around the sun.
Asteroid 2011 UL21 will be at its closest point to us on June 27. The combination of its longitude and proximity to Earth automatically qualifies it for the “potentially hazardous asteroid” label, but there’s no explanation for why worry about any risk to the planet. soon, because in this close approach it will still be more than 17 times farther from us than the Moon.
A close encounter with an asteroid of this length is only expected to take place about once a decade, which is why many astronomers and amateurs plan to practice the flyby. The Virtual Telescope Project will host the previous YouTube livestream party for those interested.
The European Space Agency highlights an attractive feature of UL21 2011: its “11:34 resonance” with Earth, meaning it orbits the Sun 11 times in about the same time it takes our planet to orbit the star. 34 times. attractive visualizations of any of the objects.
A few days after UL21 2011, a mountain-sized asteroid, much smaller but still rare, will approach us even closer than the Moon’s orbit.
As I detailed earlier in the week, asteroid 2024 MK was discovered just ten days ago and is the length of a stadium. It is rare to see an asteroid as giant approach us as the Moon; We only see him once every few years.
Like 2011 UL21, this zonal rock poses no danger and will remain a few hundred thousand kilometers away from any impact; Even if such an asteroid were to reach the surface, it would most likely cause significant damage.
Instead, asteroid 2024 MK will stand out most for offering the rare opportunity to see a new object discovered in your backyard. You can plan your observations with ESA’s NEO toolbox.
Cosmic also arrives in time for the annual UN Asteroid Day on June 30, which aims to raise awareness about the opportunities and dangers related to asteroids. This date also commemorates the Tunguska occasion in 1908, in which an asteroid struck a remote region of Siberia. , destroying more than 80 million trees.
The asteroid that triggered the Tunguska event is likely smaller than the two asteroids that came close this week.
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