Potential Danger: Asteroid 2008 OS to Fly Near Earth on February 2, 2024

2024-01-31 09:40:00

11:40 AM Wednesday, January 31, 2024

The Taipei Astronomy Laboratory warned that an asteroid with a diameter of 500 meters will fly near Earth the day following tomorrow, Friday, February 2, and given its size and flight path, it is potentially dangerous.

According to the laboratory, the speed of the asteroid, called 2008 OS, is regarding 18.2 kilometers per second. At 16:40, it will fly at a distance of 0.019 astronomical units from Earth (regarding 2.785 million kilometers), meaning that it will fly outside the boundaries of the Earth’s atmosphere, and it is assumed that it will not pose a danger.

Scientists have included this asteroid in the list of astronomical objects that potentially pose a danger to the planet Earth because its diameter is greater than 140 meters, and its flight path is less than 0.05 astronomical units from Earth.

The list of astronomical objects that potentially pose a danger to Earth contains 2,349 asteroids, the largest of which is 1999 JM8, which has a diameter of regarding 7 kilometers. In 2024, 18 of them are expected to fly close to Earth at a distance of less than 0.05 astronomical units.

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