Asteroid 2019 AV13, big as a skyscraper, to come terrifyingly close to Earth tomorrow | Tech News

Asteroid 2019 AV13, big as a skyscraper, to come terrifyingly close to Earth tomorrow

A humongous asteroid named Asteroid 2019 AV13 is expected to pass by Earth closely on August 20.

By: SHAURYA TOMER
| Updated on: Aug 17 2022, 11:00 IST
What is an Asteroid? NASA defines what these dangerous objects in sky are
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1/5 An asteroid is a small, rocky object hurtling through the sky. When seen in a telescope, an asteroid appears as a point of light, according to NASA. Most asteroids are found in a ring between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt. (Pixabay)
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2/5 Asteroids have several shapes, they may be spherical, elongated, or oddly shaped. Some asteroids even have their own satellites! Asteroids also vary in size. From Vesta, the largest at about 530 kilometers in diameter, to asteroids that are less than 10 meters in diameter, they can be found in all shapes and sizes. (Pixabay)
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3/5 Asteroids are also called minor planets. These celestial objects are the remains of the period during which our solar system formed, over 4.6 billion years ago. According to NASA, the current known asteroid count is 1,113,527. (HT_PRINT)
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4/5 Asteroids can potentially threaten life on Earth. Apocalyptic movies like Deep Impact, Armageddon and Don't Look Up have always explored the ‘What Ifs’ of world destruction, with the most famous means of world destruction being asteroids crashing into Earth. (Pixabay)
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5/5 To counter this, NASA had readied itself to potentially defend the planet against a very similar threat that is posed by asteroids by preparing the DART mission. It involves smashing a spacecraft into an oncoming asteroid at a speed of nearly 23,000kph. This knowledge will be used if an actual asteroid threatens to crash against the Earth. It will help avert an Armageddon on Earth and perhaps, even save humanity from extinction. (NASA)
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Asteroid 2019 AV13 will pass Earth closely on August 20. (NASA)

In the midst of frequent small asteroid sightings, a massive 420-foot asteroid is expected to come terrifyingly close to Earth tomorrow, August 20. The asteroid, named Asteroid 2019 AV13 is expected to miss Earth by just a few million miles. Discovered in 2019, the asteroid is expected to pass by Earth at 21:21 on August 20. The asteroid is travelling towards Earth at a staggering speed of 32,400 kilometers per hour.

Asteroid 2019 AV13 is one of the largest asteroids that will pass by Earth this year. The asteroid is nearly as big as a skyscraper, being nearly 420 feet wide. It will pass Earth at a distance of almost 3.2 million miles.

Although this asteroid will not impact Earth, it still has been classified as a “Potentially Hazadous Asteroid” due to its sheer size and the close proximity with which it will pass Earth. This asteroid is part of the Apollo group of asteroids and orbits the Sun in approximately 482 days, according to sky.org.

What are Asteroids?

Asteroids are small, rocky objects which orbit the Sun formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago at the dawn of the solar system, according to NASA. Scientists say asteroids are left over chunks which remained after the formation of planets.

Asteroids are part of the Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) which are constantly watched for any potential threat to Earth. Most of the asteroids can be found orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. According to NASA, the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) observes the sky for any potential hazardous asteroids, predicts their trajectories and carries out impact hazard assessments. Asteroids which come closer than 28 million miles from Earth's orbit are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids.

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First Published Date: 17 Aug, 11:00 IST
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