The space object was only discovered on June 13. According to the ESA, this discovery demonstrates how important it is to continue improving asteroid detection processes.
There European Space Agency (ESA) announced Monday that two asteroids large size would be closer to the To land this week, just 42 hours apart. The rare astronomical event that coincides with Asteroid Day.
One of the asteroids already passed near Earth on Thursday, while the other will appear on Saturday. Although both are notable for their large size, neither poses an environmental risk. planet .
What does the asteroid that will pass near Earth look like?
Among the two asteroids identified by ESA this week, one is called 2024 MK and it was only discovered on June 13. This is expected to happen this Saturday, June 29th around 13:45 UTC.
The object will be 290.00 kilometers from the Earth’s surface, which is 75% of the distance between our planet and the Moon. It measures between 120 and 260 meters in diameter.
The organization points out that while there is no chance of it colliding with Earth, an asteroid of this magnitude could cause “considerable damage.” For this reason, the recent discovery demonstrates how important it is to continue improving the detection and monitoring of potentially dangerous objects.
The other asteroid is (415029) 2011 UL21 and Thursday, June 27th has already passed. The difference with 2024 MK is that it would not be so close to Earth.
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According to the agency, this space rock is distinguished by its large size: It measures 2,310 meters in diameter, making it larger than 99% of all objects known today. At its closest point to our planet, (415029) 2011 UL21 traveled more than 17 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
How to see the giant asteroid
Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and founder of the initiative The Virtual Telescope Project, explained to Business Insider that even though asteroids cannot be identified with the naked eye, something that may be useful is binoculars or a telescope.
Thanks to the Virtual Telescope project, they also enabled a link to watch live MK 2024 this Saturday June 29.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
