Likely, you have seen the internet jokes about incoming asteroids on earth, however, NASA has explained that their impacts will not be as damaging as people are projecting.
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Objects Studies (CNEOS) discovered two asteroids and named them 2020 EF and 2020 DP4. The first one the research center found, 2020 EF, was actually very small to cause any meaningful effect.
Reports confirm that it will not even survive coming in contact with the earth’s atmosphere. The 2020 EF measures approximately 98 feet in diameter. It can also only reach a maximum speed of 10,000 mph. They classify it as an Aten asteroid — this is a group of asteroids whose very own orbit naturally comes quite close to Earth. Sometimes, as in this case, it may even come in contact with Earth.
The asteroid is expected to pass the earth on March 18 at about 11:15 pm EST. While this first asteroid is actually negligible, the second one raises some concerns.
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This one called the 2020 DP4 is much bigger than the 2020 EF asteroid and travels at a faster speed. Its approximate measurements are 180 feet in diameter and speed of about 18,000 mph.
Yet, despite its size and speed, this asteroid too will not be ending life on earth as the internet jokes claim. In fact, CNEOS says that the most the 2020 DP4 asteroid would do is discharge some airbursts as it passes the earth.
Airbursts are simply explosions caused by asteroids colliding with the thickest part of the earth’s atmosphere. There are many other asteroids that are currently in space.
Sky Live provides a timetable that shows approximate calculations concerning these asteroids. Here is a screenshot of their 2020 timetable below:
Ignore the asteroid scare and focus on the coronavirus that is a more imminent problem. Stay up to date.
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