NASA issued an alert about the approach of an asteroid towards Earth with a speed of 26,000 kilometers per hour. Known as 2013 WV44, the space rock was classified as a near-Earth object, and experts announced that they are not prepared to prevent it… in the event it happens.
According to the information provided by NASA, the asteroid will reach its closest point to Earth on Wednesday, May 5th.
The proportions of the space rock are remarkable, measuring approximately 160 meters in diameter and traveling at a speed of 11.8 kilometers per second. When considering the speed in kilometers, the figure exceeds 26,000 kilometers per hour, which is about 34 times the speed of sound.
NASA classifies the asteroid as a near-Earth object, requiring close monitoring. The distance is nine times greater than the distance between our planet and the Moon, but in astronomical terms, it is a relatively small distance.
An asteroid with thousands of years behind it
The composition of these objects is typically made up of primarily water ice with dust particles, and they are remnants of the formation process of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.
Technically, “near-Earth object” refers to celestial bodies such as comets or asteroids that have been gravitationally pulled into close orbits by nearby planets.
This definition applies when the space object is within 1.3 astronomical units (corresponding to 194 million kilometers) from the Sun. This distance can also be translated to within 0.3 astronomical units (44 million kilometers) from the orbit of our planet.
It is not dangerous for life on our planet
Although its size and proximity make it worthy of study and monitoring, the asteroid would not meet the criteria to be classified as potentially hazardous. This classification is applied to celestial bodies that come dangerously close to Earth.
In order to be classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA), an asteroid must come within 0.05 astronomical units (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth and have a diameter larger than 140 meters.
However, at its closest point to Earth, asteroid 2013 WV44 is expected to pass at a distance of approximately 3.2 million kilometers from our planet. So, everyone can relax, we’re safe… until the next one.
According to NASA, there are 32,254 known Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) in our solar system, a number that has increased since the 30,000 reported last October.
Out of the total, it is estimated that there are more than 10,000 asteroids with a diameter larger than 140 meters, and nearly 1,000 asteroids with a diameter larger than 1 kilometer. This highlights the need to keep track of these space rocks.
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