An asteroid several tens of meters in diameter will graze the Earth and the Moon on Saturday, a rare and harmless event

It will pass about 175,000 km from Earth and at a speed of 28,000 km/h.

Article written by

Posted on 24/03/2023 20:32

Update on 24/03/2023 20:44

Reading time : 1 min.

An artist's impression of an asteroid and the Earth. (P. CARRIL / LEEMAGE / AFP) — An artist’s impression of an asteroid and the Earth. (P. CARRIL / LEEMAGE / AFP)

The event only occurs once a decade. an asteroid measuring between 40 and 70 meters in diameter will pass, Saturday March 25 at 8:49 p.m., between the Earth and the Moon. The event is safe and will even serve as a planetary defense training exercise, said Friday, March 24, the European Space Agency (ESA).

According to estimates, the asteroid, dubbed “2023 DZ2”, is large enough to wipe out a large city if it were to hit our planet. He will pass “very close” of the earth, less than a third of the distance that separates us from the Moon, approximately 175,000 km, and at a speed of 28,000 km/h.

An object of study

The International Asteroid Warning Network has decided to take advantage of such a closeness, and “2023 DZ2” will be analyzed using a series of instruments such as spectrometers and radars. The goal is to discover everything it is possible to learn about an asteroid in just one week, specifies Richard Moissl, Head of ESA’s Planetary Defense Office. This will serve as a practice for how the network “will react to such a threat” in the future, added the scientist.

According to the calculations of astronomers, the asteroid will again pass in front of the Earth in 2026, but at a greater distance. It will not pose a risk of impact for at least the next 100 years.