Asteroid 2022 QB2, clocked at a staggering 57060 kmph, to whizz past Earth today!

August’s trend of asteroid flybys has continued into the month of September. 3 asteroids have been expected to fly past Earth closely today. These asteroids, named Asteroid 2022 QQT7, Asteroid 2021 CQ5 and Asteroid 2022 QB2, will fly past Earth at blistering speeds. Fortunately, these asteroids will miss the Earth by a few million kilometers. According to scientists, this asteroid could cause massive damage on Earth if it deviates from its orbit due to the pull of Earth’s gravitational field. Here’s what we know about Asteroid 2022 QB2.

Asteroid 2022 QB2 to whizz past Earth today

The Asteroid 2022 QB2 is already on its way towards Earth. It is travelling at a staggering speed of 57,060 kilometers per hour. According to NASA, the Asteroid 2022 QB2 is nearly as big as an aeroplane, with a width of almost 100 feet, easily making it the largest of the 3 asteroids which will fly past the planet today. It will make its closest approach to Earth today, September 1, at a distance of nearly 3.94 million kilometers.

If this asteroid was on a collision course with Earth, it would cause global catastrophe. However, NASA is preparing a strategy to defend the planet against asteroid threats. NASA’s DART Mission, launched in November 2021, is getting ready to impact this month with its target asteroid Dimorphos on September 26. This test will help scientists gain greater knowledge as to what happens when a craft is crashed against a space rock. This knowledge will be used if an actual asteroid threatens to crash against the Earth.

Although the collision will take place seven million miles away, NASA has sent a smaller spacecraft with a camera that will record the entire event. The crash landing is going to take place on September 26 at 4:44 AM IST (7:14 PM ET). The livestream will begin at 3:30 AM IST (6 PM ET). To watch it, you can go to NASA's official website, YouTube channel as well as Facebook and Twitter.