[The Epoch Times, January 26, 2023](The Epoch Times reporter Linda compiles and reports) Data from NASA’s Near-Earth Object Research Center shows that an asteroid (2023 BU) just discovered last weekend will have a close contact with the Earth. Extremely close encounters. You can watch it live as it skims Earth on Thursday (January 26) at 2:15 p.m. ET.
At that time, the asteroid will pass by about 6,500 miles from the center of the Earth at a speed of 33,300 miles per hour. Given that the average Earth radius (distance from center to surface) is roughly 4,000 miles, 2023 BU will pass overhead at an altitude of about 2,500 miles above the surface.
While that sounds far away, it’s a close distance, astronomically speaking. In fact, the 2023 BU brush with Earth is the fourth-closest of more than 35,000 past and future planetary approach events in the Center for the Study of Near-Earth Objects (CNEOS) database, which contains 300 years from 1900 to 2200. data.
2023 BU flew so close to Earth, less than 3% of the average distance between Earth and the Moon. The asteroid will also enter orbits of geosynchronous satellites that orbit Earth at an altitude of 22,236 miles above the equator.
2023 BU was only discovered last Saturday (January 21), but astronomers have accurately calculated its orbit, and it will not collide with the Earth this time.
By some definitions, the asteroid would even pass through the uppermost region of Earth’s atmosphere, known as the “exosphere,” which, depending on the interpretation, could extend between about 6,000 and 120,000 miles above Earth.
But many scientists don’t think the exosphere, which fades away into the vacuum of space, is a real part of the atmosphere because the air there is so thin.
If you want to watch the asteroid as it flies by, the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP) is streaming it live at https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/. It will show the planet speeding through space as it makes a close flyby of Earth. VTP, a service provided by the Bellatrix Observatory in Cecano, Italy, allows users to use remote commands to use the telescope through a robotic arm.
VTP astronomer Gianluca Masi told Newsweek that this is one of the closest asteroids to Earth on record in recent years. “Of course, there have been a number of asteroids that have been discovered just before entering Earth’s atmosphere — five times since 2008,” he said.
At present, even if this asteroid will hit the earth, it will be fine. CNEOS data showed the object was only 12.4 to 27.8 feet in diameter. According to NASA, planets smaller than 25 meters in diameter would likely burn up if they entered Earth’s atmosphere, causing little or no damage to the ground. ◇
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei #