There Are Two Asteroids That Will Pass Near The Earth

Asteroid Illustration (Twitter @nasaastroidwatch)

JAKARTA - The American Space Agency (NASA) has identified a large asteroid that is approaching Earth again. Based on observations on an astronomical scale, the astroid will pass a safe distance and will not harm the Earth.

Quoting the AU News page, Monday, August 31, 2011 ES4 Asteroid will cross Earth tomorrow, around 16.12 GMT or 23.12 WIB. From NASA observations, this asteroid has a size of 22 to 49 meters and will cross the Earth with a distance of about 120,000 kilometers.

As the name suggests, NASA first discovered this asteroid in 2011. The celestial body belongs to the asteroid group known as Apollo with an orbit that crosses Earth's orbit.

If you see, the orbit of the 2011 ES4 trajectory is quite close to Earth. In comparison, the astronomical scale of the Earth's distance to the Moon is about 384,000 km. Even so, this trajectory is still quite far from the position of the satellites orbiting the Earth.

This was also confirmed by the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) which ensured that the 2011 ES4 Asteroid did not pose a danger to Earth. "Take it easy, we will not be destroyed."

Will #asteroid 2011 ES4 hit Earth? 🌎 No! 2011 ES4's close approach is “close” on an astronomical scale but poses no danger of actually hitting Earth. #PlanetaryDefense experts expect it to safely pass by at least 45,000 miles (792,000 football fields) away on Tuesday Sept. 1.

- NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) August 28, 2020

The presence of the 2011 ES4 astroid will also be accompanied by the 2020 QG5. An asteroid that is quite small when compared to 2011 ES4 and the last time it approached Earth on August 11, 2004.

Asteroids of this type will not pose a serious threat to planet Earth because of their smaller diameter. Even if they approach Earth, this celestial body will appear brightly lit because it is eroded by the atmosphere.