Asteroid 2022 QX4, clocked at 31644kmph, to fly past Earth SOON! And NASA issues warning

NASA has issued a warning that an asteroid will fly past Earth on August 29. The asteroid, named Asteroid 2022 QX4, will miss Earth by just 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 QX4.

Asteroid 2022 QX4

According to NASA, Asteroid 2022 QX4 is nearly as big as an aeroplane, at a width of 140 feet. The asteroid is expected to just miss Earth at a distance of 1.83 million kilometers on August 29. The Asteroid 2022 QX4 has been clocked at a staggering speed of 31,644 kilometers per hour, heading for Earth.

Although this asteroid is not expected to cause any potential damage, it still has been classified as a “Potentially Hazardous Object” due to the close proximity with which it will fly past Earth. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office classifies Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) as potentially hazardous if they come within 8 million kilometers of Earth.

Can asteroids be exploited for resources?

Near Earth Objects (NEOs) such as Asteroids and Comets revolve around the Sun in their own orbit. Although potentially dangerous, these NEOs could also be utilized for useful resources. The process is called Asteroid Mining.

Asteroids are generally made up of rocky minerals and Comets are balls of ice. Asteroids could come in handy when building structures in space, such as bases on other planets or even the Moon. Asteroids are usually composed of nickel and iron or silicate materials and nickel-iron. Due to their 85 percent metal structure, they could be an excellent source of minerals. It is even said that the raw materials extracted from asteroids could even exceed the metal reserves present on Earth.