A SMALL asteroid is approaching Earth’s orbit today — and no one saw it coming a few days ago.
The space object, dubbed Asteroid 2022 NF, will pass within just 56,000 miles of our home planet.
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That number of miles is about 23 percent of the average distance between the Earth and the moon.
Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, reassured that the rock will make it past Earth safely.
Asteroid 2022 NF
The space rock was first observed just days ago, on July 4, by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii.
Asteroid 2022 NF orbits the sun about every six years, according to JPLs Small-Body Database†
At its longest dimension, the asteroid measures between 18 feet and 41 feet — that’s about the size of a large bus.
Due to its smaller size, 2022 NF is not considered a “potentially dangerous asteroid” by NASA’s criteria.
Typically, an asteroid must be at least 140 meters long and pass within 7.5 million km of Earth, according to space.com†
What is an asteroid?
An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the sun.
Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), but they can be found anywhere (including on a path that can hit Earth).
They are different from comets, which are usually made of ice and gas and have long ‘tails’ behind them.
How can I watch Asteroid 2022 NF?
Interested parties could watch the flyby on Virtual Telescope’s today webpage and YouTube account.
However, if you are an amateur astronomer, you can use your own telescope.
It is of course important to note that for this the viewing conditions must be clear.