Named 7335, the asteroid will still remain at a good distance from our planet, 4 million kilometers away. His next passage is scheduled for June 23, 2055.
The specialized site space.com evokes a “huge asteroid, as big as four Empire State Buildings”. This Friday, at 4:26 p.m. to be precise, asteroid 7335 (1998 JA) will approach Earth. At a good distance all the same: 4 million kilometers, which corresponds to ten times the trip between the Earth and the Moon, or enough to avoid any risk of collision.
no threat
But due to its imposing size, 1.8km in diameter, The NASA, the US space agency has classified 7335 as a “potentially hazardous” object. If its trajectory were to deviate, it could cause considerable damage in the event of a collision with the Earth.
A scenario that should not happen, especially since the asteroid is well known to the scientific community.
“There is no threat at all. Statistically, 90% of objects larger than one kilometer in size, which by the way is the disaster threshold if they fell to Earth, are known. To date, the scientific community has identified them all. We are not threatened by any of them for at least a century”, analysis with West France Patrick Michel, asteroid specialist at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
7335 was discovered in 1989 by American astronomer Eleanor Helin, then working at the US Palomar Observatory in California. It has the particularity of being an “Apollo”, namely an asteroid whose orbit is around the Sun, regularly crossing that of the Earth, specifies space.com. It moves at a speed of 76,000 km/h.
The most imposing object of this year
NASA adds that it is the most imposing stellar object that will pass near Earth this year, among the 29,000 objects it monitors.
It has already been observed in March, but its approach on Friday will be the “closest”. Those who wish to see it will have to point their glasses towards the Hydra constellation.
Its next passage near our planet is scheduled for June 23, 2055, making this Friday’s event all the more exceptional. But the most impressive crossover is scheduled for Friday, April 13, 2029.
It is on this date that the asteroid Apophis, nicknamed the “God of chaos” with its 300 meters in diameter, will pass less than 30,000 km from Earth, within range of certain communication satellites. NASA has already ruled out any risk of collision.