Will an asteroid come close to the Earth today and does it pose any danger?

According to NASA, the asteroid dubbed as 52768 (1998 OR2) was supposed to pass besides the Earth on Wednesday i.e April 29, 2020. It was reported that the asteroid will pass the earth on 10:56 BST. The space rock was initially spotted first in the solar system back in 1998 and has tracked since then by Center for Near-Earth Object Studies which is led by NASA. 

Also read: 'What if the Asteroid is the UFO? Will Aliens help fight Covid?' Netizens have questions

Does the 1998 OR2 asteroid pose any threat?

The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has categorized the 1198 OR2 asteroid as a potentially hazardous object. The asteroid has been categorised so as it has flown past the surface of the earth at regular intervals. But it has also been cleared by NASA that the asteroid will not come close to the surface of the Earth as it will fly by at a distance of 6.2 million kilometres. The distance between earth and moon is reported to be 3,85,000 kilometres which makes the asteroid almost 16 times farther away from the surface of planet Earth. 

Also read: Massive asteroid flying past Earth next week looks like it's wearing a 'face mask'

NASA has claimed that the asteroid has an apparent speed of 19 thousand kilometres per hour. Even though the 1998 OR2 asteroid has been identified as a  potentially hazardous object (PHO), multiple scientists across the globe have confirmed that it does not possess any danger to Earth. A potentially hazardous object is classified when it is bigger than 500 feet and comes within an eight million kilometres radius of Earth. It is reported that the 1998 OR2 asteroid is 1.2 miles wide. 

Also read: Fact Check: Will an asteroid really hit Earth on April 29, 2020?

As per reports, it would be over 40 years before 1998 OR2 passes through earth again but its activity will be actively tracked by NASA and other space organizations. According to Flavaine Venditti, a researcher at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, in 2079, the 1998 OR2 asteroid will pass about 3.5 times closer than in 2020. Though the asteroid is not an imminent threat to planet Earth now, it could become one in the future. 

Also read: Asteroid Larger Than World's Tallest Building Sails Past Earth: NASA

Also read: Video Of Asteroids Casually Floating Around Solar System Terrifies The Internet