NASA warns of close approach by asteroid! 190-ft space rock racing towards Earth

An asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2020 UQ3, is on its way towards Earth and could make its closest approach to the planet as soon as tomorrow, July 18. NASA revealed these shocking details after tracking the asteroid’s orbit using its various satellites and space and ground-based telescopes. As per the details provided by NASA, Asteroid 2020 UQ3 is expected to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of just 1.2 million kilometers, and at a speed of 33387 kilometers per hour.

It belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. These asteroids are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Is Asteroid 2020 UQ3 dangerous?

According to NASA, the asteroid that is approaching Earth is not expected to crash and isn’t big enough to be classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object. To end all life on Earth, an asteroid would have to be at least 96 kilometers wide. On the other hand, Asteroid 2020 UQ3 is almost 190 feet wide, which is not big enough to cause a catastrophe. 

However, it can be compared to an aircraft, and could still cause some damage, especially if it crashed in a densely populated area.

History of asteroid impacts

While large asteroids, such as the one which triggered the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, are known as planet killers, several smaller space rocks have also caused loss of life and property. In 2013, a mere 59 feet wide asteroid exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia, damaging 8000 buildings, injuring over 1000 people.

On the other hand, the largest asteroid strike on Earth in recorded history happened on June 30, 1908, when a carbonaceous asteroid crashed on Earth in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia. Upon impact, it decimated about 2150 square kilometers of forest and scorched the ground, resulting in a 12-megaton explosion.

Recent meteor strike

Just yesterday, a woman sitting on her terrace in the village of Alsace in Eastern France was struck by a meteor which bounced off the roof and hit her chest! Later, she got the rock examined by a geologist named Dr. Thierry Rebmann, who confirmed that it was indeed a meteorite from outer space.