An asteroid the size of a truck passes the Earth, just over the tip of South America, in one of the closest approaches ever recorded, according to the US space agency (NASA), which emphasized that it did not represent any danger.
The asteroid 2023 BU, recently discovered by an amateur astronomer, reaches the southern tip of South America around 9:00 p.m. in Argentina. The rocky body measures 3.5 by 8.5 meters — regarding the size of a delivery truck — and it is one of the closest such encounters ever recorded. NASA assured that it will be a flyby with no possibility of the asteroid hitting Earth.
The US space agency said Wednesday that this newly discovered asteroid will pass as close as 3,600 kilometers (2,200 miles) above the southern tip of South America, that’s 10 times closer than the group of communication satellites orbiting above.
There is no risk of the asteroid hitting Earth, but even if it did, this small asteroid would become a fireball and largely disintegrate harmlessly in the atmosphere, and some of the larger debris might fall as small meteors, NASA said.
The asteroid was discovered by amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov from his MARGO observatory in Nauchnyi, Crimea, on Saturday, January 21. Additional observations were reported to the Minor Planet Center (MPC) and the data was automatically posted to the Near-Earth Object Confirmation page. After collecting enough observations, the MPC announced the discovery. Within three days, multiple observatories around the world had zeroed in on the object, helping astronomers better refine 2023 BU’s orbit.
It will not be an “impactor” object
NASA’s Scout Impact Risk Assessment System “quickly ruled out 2023 BU as an impactor.” “This is one of the closest approaches to a near-Earth object ever recorded,” said Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at JPL who developed Scout.
From the official site of the US agency they explained that, although any asteroid in the vicinity of Earth will experience a change in trajectory due to the gravity of our planet, 2023 BU it will come so close that its path around the Sun is expected to be significantly altered.
Before encountering Earth, the asteroid’s orbit around the Sun was roughly circular, approaching Earth’s orbit, and it took 359 days to complete its orbit around the Sun. After its encounter, the asteroid’s orbit will be more elongated. , moving approximately halfway between the orbits of Earth and Mars at its farthest point from the Sun. The asteroid will then complete one orbit every 425 days.
RB / MCP
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