Two large Asteroids made close approach to Earth: All you need to know about Asteroids 2011 ES4 and 2020 QG5
As per NASA, two asteroids had a close encounter with Earth on September 1, 2020. The Asteroids zoom past our planet about one-third the average distance to the moon.
Will #asteroid 2011 ES4 hit Earth? 🌎 No! 2011 ES4’s close approach is “close” on an astronomical scale but poses no danger of actually hitting Earth. #PlanetaryDefense experts expect it to safely pass by at least 45,000 miles (792,000 football fields) away on Tuesday Sept. 1.
— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) August 28, 2020
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Details of the Asteroids
Two asteroids namely 2011 ES4 and 2020 QG5 having diameters 19 metres and 49 metres made a close approach towards our planet on September 1, 2020. The two of them have been classified as the Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) due to their distance from our planet.
Asteroid 2011 ES4
As per a tweet by NASA Asteroid Watch, the Asteroid 2011 ES4 will not hit our planet despite being close on an astronomical scale and will safely pass by at least 45,000 miles away.
As per NASA, the relative speed of the asteroid 2011 ES4 will be around 1.8 kilometres per second. In 2011, this asteroid was close to Earth and was visible for 4 days.
On March 2, 2011, the University of Arizona carried out the Mount Lemmon Survey. In the survey, the Asteroid 2011 ES4 was discovered by the astronomers.
Asteroid 2020 Q5G
As per NASA, the Asteroid 2020 Q5G was close to the Earth on August 11, 2004. This Asteroid will be 29 lakh kilometre away from our planet and it doesn't hit our planet even if it is altered by the gravitational pull of the other planets.
Our #PlanetaryDefense experts are not worried about asteroid 2010 FR and you shouldn’t be either because it has zero chance of hitting Earth. 🌎 It will safely pass by our planet on Sept. 6 more than 4.6 million miles away—that’s more than 19 times the distance of our Moon!
— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) September 1, 2020
As per NASA, another Asteroid 2010 FR will pass by our planet on September 6, 2020. It is twice as the size of Pyramid of Giza. The Asteroid will be around 4.6 million miles away-- 19 times the distance of our Moon. This Asteroid is classified as a Near Earth Object (NEO) and is a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). This Asteroid was discovered during the Catalina Sky Survey on March 18, 2010.
What are Asteroids?
Asteroids are rocky objects orbiting around the Sun. They are also called minor planets. The count for the known asteroids is 994,383 as per NASA.
Who names the Asteroids?
The Asteroids are named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
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