Asteroid 2020 KN5 to pass by earth today (Representational image)
Asteroid 2020 KN5 is approaching Earth's orbit with an average velocity of over 28,000 miles per hour. NASA’s automated asteroid tracking system has detected an approaching near-Earth object that’s bigger than a building. The asteroid 2020 KN5 is currently being monitored by NASA through its Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). Meanwhile, scientists have stressed that it poses no danger to the planet.
All you need to know about Asteroid 2020 KN5:
- According to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the 177 feet wide asteroid will fly past earth at a speed of over 28,000 miles per hour on June 4.
- Due to its Earth-intersecting orbit, Asteroid 2020 KN5 has been classified as an Apollo asteroid.
- There is no danger of the asteroid hitting Earth during its upcoming visit while scientists believe that the asteroid will burn out in the atmosphere.
- On June 5 and June 6, total five asteroids will fly by the earth.
- The object ‘2020 KA6’ would fly by Earth on June 5 and at a distance of 44.7 lakh km from Earth. It’s believed to be of 12m-28m in diameter.
- The largest asteroid named ‘163348 (2002 NN4)’ which is estimated to be between 250m and 570m in diameter would fly by Earth on June 6. This huge asteroid would fly at a distance of 50.9 lakh km from Earth.
- Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are asteroids and comets that orbit the Sun, but their orbits bring them into Earth's neighbourhood - within 30 million miles of Earth's orbit.
- Most of the rocky asteroids originally formed in the warmer inner solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while comets, composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles, formed in the cold outer solar system.
- Given the asteroid’s size and current speed, Asteroid 2020 KN5 most likely won’t cause an impact event or hit the ground if it collides with Earth.
- According to CNEOS, the asteroid is expected to safely fly past Earth at 6:14 p.m. EDT.
