Published 18:53 IST, September 3rd 2020
Asteroid 2010 FR double the size of Pyramid of Giza to fly very close by Earth on Sept 6
Asteroid 2010 FR double the size of the Giza Pyramids to fly by close to Earth soon. Here is everything you need to know about the asteroid
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently tracking the course of an asteroid which is believed to be twice as big as the iconic Egyptian monument, Pyramid of Giza. The ginormous celestial object will be colliding with Earth’s orbit very soon. NASA has classified the colossal asteroid as an Apollo asteroid as it is going to come dangerously close to Earth by crossing its orbit. Scientists have named the asteroid 465824 or Asteroid 2010 FR. Read on to find out, “When will Asteroid 2010 FR enter Earth’s orbit?”
When will Asteroid 2010 FR enter Earth’s orbit?
On NASA’s official website, the scientists from Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) said that the asteroid will be near Earth’s orbit on September 6 at around 15:30 IST. Asteroid 2010 FR is reportedly up to 270 metres wide and 886 feet tall. Asteroid 2010 FR will remain close to the earth for another six days, but its closest approach will be on September 6 following which it will be on its outbound course.
Is Asteroid 2010 FR potentially hazardous?
Asteroid 2010 FR will pass within 7,412,769 km of Earth on September 6. Given that the asteroid will come very close to Earth during its flyby, NASA has classified it as a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) and it has also been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). But, there are very high chances that the asteroid will pass safely without posing any threat.
The 2010 FR orbits the sun every 440 days which is 1.20 years for us earthlings. It comes as close as 0.72 Astronomical Units (AU) to the sun and goes as far as 1.55 AU from the sun during its slingshot around the star. NASA has stated on its website that based on its brightness it has been calculated that Asteroid 2010 FR is probably between 0.121 to 0.272 kilometres in diameter.
On September 1, asteroid 2011 ES4 had come very close to the Earth, closer than the Moon. The estimated distance of the asteroid 2011 ES4 from Earth is 1.2 lakh kilometres. Moreover, another asteroid named 2020 QG5 approached Earth again after 16 years on the very same day. Clearly none of the asteroids was a threat to our planet. Given their small size, if they had entered Earth’s atmosphere, they would have been destroyed in the upper layers itself.
Updated 18:53 IST, September 3rd 2020