A big asteroid flyby on Wednesday

Radar image of asteroid 1998 OR2, acquired April 18, 2020, by astronomers at Arecibo Observatory. The radar data confirm that 1998 OR2 is at least 2 km in diameter [a little over a mile wide]. These radar images suggest it is spherical. It rotates once every 4.1 hours. Image via Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

A big asteroid is going to pass close to the earth on April 29, 2020. Asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2 will pass at a safe distance of about 4 million miles (6 million kilometers). Astronomers estimate that the asteroid 1998 OR2 is about 1.1 or 2.5 miles wide and is known that it is the biggest asteroid that will pass the earth so closely this year. But if it was closer to the earth then it could have threatened human civilization. But there is nothing to worry about as the asteroid is 16 times farther than the Earth-Moon distance. The observers from the Virtual telescope project have found out that the shape of the asteroid is more spherical. The closest approach will be on April 29 around 5:56 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time (9:56 UTC).

The orbit of asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2. It requires 3 years and 8 months to orbit the sun once. It gets nearly as far from the sun as Jupiter (about 5 times Earth’s distance from the sun). Image via NASA/ JPL.

Some of the professional observers have started to point their telescope at the stars already. But if you don’t have a telescope then you can see it live from Nasa or the virtual telescope project site. From the 22 hazardous Asteroids pointed out by Wikipedia none of them are found to be colliding with earth. Its next approach towards the earth will be in 2079 and is known to be a million miles closer to the earth than now. It is known as one of the biggest asteroids that are going to pass through the earth in centuries.