How To See The Next Asteroid Come Near Earth On April 29, 2020
What's happening April 29th?
getty On April 29, 2020 Asteroid 1998 OR2 will come near Earth, and even though it won't hit our planet, it still feels too close for comfort.
The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0 will be hosting the event for free at 2:30 p.m. EST on their website, and if you want to watch it in HD, they can do that too.
Why do some asteroids almost hit Earth?
Asteroids are in the cosmos and many travel by earth all of the time. During the month of April, there have been several Galactic appearances by asteroids.
Some asteroids will dissolve before coming near our planet, such as the Supernova SN2016aps, the star explosion that made history mid-April.
Comet Atlas was set to have a close encounter with planet Earth before it broke up into four pieces and disappointed astronomers everywhere.
What are asteroids?
Asteroids are “small, rocky objects that orbit the sun”.
They are formed when dust particles collide to form planetesimals or larger clumps.
Asteroids can continue to grow if they continue to attract dust. The main difference between an asteroid and a planet is its size.
Asteroids are smaller than planets. If an asteroid becomes too big, by collecting extra dust.
It will no longer be classified as an asteroid. Another difference between the two is the shape. Planets are round and circular. While asteroids have irregular shapes.
Asteroids are commonly found within our solar system. Most asteroids shatter, similar to comet C2019/Y4, who disintegrated on April 11.
The two asteroid belts in this solar system are the asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt.
The asteroid belt can be found between Mars and Jupiter. The Kuiper belt is just outside of Neptune’s orbit.
So most asteroids of those belts tend to orbit in their belts.
Is it possible for an asteroid to leave its belt?
Yes. Asteroids can be pulled out of the asteroid belt. Gravity uses its gravitational pull to remove steroids from the belt.
A relevant example of a roaming asteroid would be Asteroid 1998 OR2.
What is Asteroid 1998 OR2?
Asteroid 1998 OR2 is an asteroid was discovered July 24, 1998 by astronomers at the Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii.
This asteroid is classified as "potentially hazardous" due to its relatively large size.
Its diameter is estimated to be in 1.8 – 4.1 km range.
Are roaming asteroids dangerous?
As you can imagine, asteroids roaming free outside of their belt can be a cause of concern.
They could easily come near-earth and enter the atmosphere.
An asteroid that enters the Earth's atmosphere can cause damage to the environment.
An asteroid can potentially kill people depending on their size and point of entry. So, should we be worried about Asteroid 1998 OR2?
We don't have to worry about Asteroid 1998 OR because it's 3.8 million miles away from Earth — according to astronomers.
1998 OR2 is projected to come near earth at a distance of 16.4 lunar distances (6.3 million kilometers).
No, according to the NASA Asteroid Watch Twitter account.
We will survive this asteroid, so long as it follows the same course as it comes near earth.
Tamara Sanon is a writer who covers astrology, spirituality, love, and relationship topics.