Asteroid 2020 PN1's orbit will bring it close to Earth today! Close encounter in offing
If asteroids are located millions of kilometers away in space, then why do we need to track them? According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), asteroids, which are ancient space rocks, present a potential threat of collision with Earth and they can help discover secrets of space that have been hidden from us. While most of them are located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, they often make close approaches to Earth, passing the planet at close distances.
This can happen if an asteroid gets knocked off course, affected by a large planet's gravitational pull. Their orbits can also bring them extremely close to Earth, making it imperative to study and track them.
NASA has now tracked an asteroid whose orbit will bring it close to Earth today, August 3. Know details of this close encounter.
NASA keeps an eye on asteroids, comets, and other Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) for potential close approaches that could threaten Earth. The space agency has issued a warning against an asteroid that will come extremely close to Earth today, August 3. As per the details, the asteroid, given the designation Asteroid 2020 PN1, will pass Earth at as close as approximately 4.1 million kilometers. While this asteroid is not a planet killer, it is still huge, with an estimated width of 90 feet. That makes it almost as big as an aircraft!
Not only will the asteroid pass Earth very closely, but it is also hurtling towards us at blistering speed. NASA has revealed that Asteroid 2020 PN1 is approaching Earth at a breakneck velocity of 17425 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
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