NASA says asteroid “7335 (1989 JA)” passes Earth today.
An astronomer at the Virtual Telescope Project has captured this breathtaking image of a massive asteroid nearly four times the size of the Empire State Building. The mile-wide asteroid heading towards Earth looks stunning against the backdrop of space. The space rock is likely to pass by Earth from a distance of 2.5 million miles on May 27. According to Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory records, this is the 12th since 1916 , this asteroid dazzled the Earth. It is expected to reappear around 2029. Although it will pass our planet from a safe distance, NASA still classifies the asteroid as a “potentially dangerous object.” .
“Potential asteroid … is almost at a safe distance, at least from us, very bright right now,” shared Gianluca Masi, an astronomer leading the Virtual Telescope Project. The astronomer further shared that the Virtual Telescope Project will host two live broadcast present day when the asteroid passed by the Earth from a distance of 4 million km. Potentially hazardous asteroid (7335) 1989 JA has an estimated diameter of 1.8 km, making it quite bright to be seen with small instruments.
How are asteroids classified as near-Earth objects?
Any space rock that comes 30 million miles from Earth is classified by NASA as a “near-Earth object.” Asteroid “7335 (1989 JA)”, is classified as a “potentially hazardous object” because it will arrive five million miles from Earth. It was discovered by Eleanor Helin on May 1, 1989, from the Palomar Observatory. According to NASA, it will reach a minimum distance of about 4 million kilometers, nearly 10.5 times the moon’s average distance from us on May 27, 2022, at 14:26 UTC.
What is an asteroid?
Asteroids are small, rocky objects left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. They orbit the sun and reside mainly in between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, also known as the asteroid belt. They are made of different rocks, and therefore no two asteroids are alike.
