Huge asteroid ‘may pose a threat’ approaching earth
The US space agency (NASA) announced that the asteroid 139622 (2001 QQ142), with a diameter of 1.2 kilometers, will approach Earth on Wednesday.
The asteroid will come within 5.5 million kilometers of our planet, which could pose a danger to Earth.
According to NASA, the asteroid will approach Earth at 21:00 UTC on December 6th, where it will be at a distance of 0.036 astronomical units (an astronomical unit is used to measure distances in space and equals the average distance between Earth and the Sun), approximately 5.5 million kilometers away.
Celestial bodies that cross the Earth’s orbit within a distance of 0.05 astronomical units or less than 7.5 million kilometers from Earth are considered hazardous.
The diameter of asteroid 139622 (2001 QQ142) is estimated to be between 540 and 1200 meters, and its speed is about 6.66 kilometers per second.
Astronomers discovered this asteroid on August 22, 2001, and after completing its orbit, it returned to the scientists’ “field of view” after 22 years.
