ANAS: Asteroid approaching Earth can be dangerous

  08 February 2016    Read: 1099
ANAS: Asteroid approaching Earth can be dangerous
Just two years ago, the asteroid 2013 TX68 flew by the Earth. 2013 TX68 is similar to the Chelyabinsk meteorite, whose diameter is estimated to be 19 meters.
This is nearly two times bigger than the 2013 TX68. However, the asteroid is less likely to hit the Earth, Eyyub Guliyev, an associate member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), told on Monday.

The asteroid 2013 TX68 was discovered by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey, he mentioned.

“The asteroid is small, its diameter is about 30-40 meters. It crosses Earth`s orbit. It’s a type of asteroid that can potentially pose a threat to the Earth. Calculations reveal that from March 5 to 8, the asteroid will be at the closest distance to the Earth. The nearest distance this asteroid will approach our planet is 19,500km. It’s a very critical distance but is not considered to be a great danger. The asteroid’s next approach to the Earth is expected to take place in 2017.

NASA had said asteroid 2013 TX68 moving towards to the Earth will fly by the Earth on March 5, when the could fly past Earth as far out as 9 million miles (14 million kilometers) or as close as 11,000 miles (17,000 kilometers). The variation in possible closest approach distances is due to the wide range of possible trajectories for this object, since it was tracked for only a short time after discovery. Scientists at NASA`s Center for NEO Studies (CNEOS) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have determined there is no possibility that this object could impact Earth during the flyby next month.

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