PSA: A ‘Potentially Dangerous’ Asteroid Almost A Mile Wide Is On ‘Close Approach’ With Earth

Asteroid 136795 Almost A Mile Wide Is On Close Approach With Earth

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No big deal, but Apollo-class Asteroid 136795 (1997 BQ) is going to be getting very friendly with our planet. I mean, NASA classifies it as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) and it’s going to be within “Close Approach” distance of Earth, but it’s all good. Right?

“Potentially Hazardous Asteroids are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth,” explains NASA.

NASA also states, “A relatively small number of near-Earth objects pass close enough to Earth and are large enough in size to warrant close observation. That’s because the gravitational tug of the planets could, over time, cause an object’s orbital path to evolve into an Earth-crossing orbit. This allows for the possibility of a future collision.”

Oh yeah, this will be occurring on May 21st (that’s today) at approximately 9:45 pm UT (5:45 EST), according to NASA, so keep an eye out.

Here’s a comparison of the orbital path Asteroid 136795 will be taking compared to that of the Earth.

Asteroid Almost A Mile Wide Is On Close Approach With Earth

NASA-JPL


Asteroid 136795 (1997 BQ), one of the 10 biggest asteroids that pose a threat to Earth in 2020, measures anywhere from 2,191 feet to 0.86 miles across (roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge, reports SpaceReference.org) and will be whizzing by our planet somewhere in the neighborhood of 26,127 mph or 7.258 miles per second.

The Daily Express reports Asteroid 136795 (1997 BQ) will be the largest space rock to pass by Earth on “Close Approach” between now and the month of July.


However, if we do manage to escape unscathed, it’s still not over for Asteroid 136795 (1997 BQ). It gets to take another shot at us, based on NASA’s orbital calculations, on February 21, 2027 and May 31, 2050 (and again in the years 2057, 2087, 2117, 2147, 2154, and 2184). So mark your calendars.

At least for now, however, all reports appear to indicate we’ll be just fine. Not like there’s anything we can do about it even if we’re not.

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Before settling down at BroBible, Douglas Charles, a graduate of the University of Iowa (Go Hawks), owned and operated a wide assortment of websites. He is also one of the few White Sox fans out there and thinks Michael Jordan is, hands down, the GOAT.