KEY POINTS An asteroid larger than the Eiffel Tower is set to pass by Earth Saturday, according to NASA's CNEOS
The asteroid, identified as 2020 PP, will be around 4 million miles away from the planet's surface when it passes by
2020 PP has not been included in the European Space Agency's Risk List
A large asteroid is set to make its way past Earth this weekend, according to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), but astronomers say it is no cause for alarm.
At around 7:26 a. m. EST August 9, 2020 P will fly by Earth at a distance of 17,200 miles from our planet. This means the asteroid will be traveling at a speed of about 22 miles per millisecond, which is about two-and-a-half times the half-million-mile speed of sound in air.
CNEOS has announced a possibility that 2020 P could make historical changes to the planet. The new asteroid might possibly trigger serious climate change, the agency says; the temperatures on today's Earth might rise by as much as nine degrees F, the minimum recommended temperature on our "comfort" scale for global warming (8 degrees C).
"It's interesting that it is travelling through what we call an 'environmental boundary' which has relatively far-reaching effects," CNEOS research associate Justin Curry, a thesis assistant at the London School of Economics, co-wrote in a post on the agency's website. "Blocking the review paper with no impact statement must suggest the committee missed a trick..."
If 2020 P does reach Earth, 20 of us would be in its path. That's close to 2 billion, which is 1.8 million, or half of the world's population. Considering that the topography on this planet is naturally shaped, Earth's shape could be maintained. But if a portion of the atmosphere were flattened due to the impacts of 2000 P and event 2000 OE, this could happen very soon.
For now, folding of Earth's atmosphere is expected, which would happen in about one month it to happen, Milers said. No impact would occur before the 20-month mark.
Nobody knows what exactly will happen, but 2024 might also be a safe date to eat food, since the high-speed particles from the asteroid would have dissipated away through the atmosphere. If you miss the lunch, 2025, then the atmosphere could return to its status quo again, NASA predicts, which might mean the danger is even greater in the years after.
Secret Guardian Saga April Snaps up Authors
The Secret Guardian Saga Beta Book Bang is occuring next week, with Secret Guardian Saga ongoing stories by Ian Tregillis ( hegairfanelli) and Robert Silverberg ( Skitters), Lucy Knisley (X Files), Ryan North (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Daniel starsky (Seven Kingdoms) , and Alan Moore (V). Apologies for the lack of alpha/beta chapters, but it fits the queue well for the book
The asteroid, identified as 2020 PP, will be around 4 million miles away from the planet's surface when it passes by
2020 PP has not been included in the European Space Agency's Risk List
A large asteroid is set to make its way past Earth this weekend, according to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), but astronomers say it is no cause for alarm.
At around 7:26 a. m. EST August 9, 2020 P will fly by Earth at a distance of 17,200 miles from our planet. This means the asteroid will be traveling at a speed of about 22 miles per millisecond, which is about two-and-a-half times the half-million-mile speed of sound in air.
CNEOS has announced a possibility that 2020 P could make historical changes to the planet. The new asteroid might possibly trigger serious climate change, the agency says; the temperatures on today's Earth might rise by as much as nine degrees F, the minimum recommended temperature on our "comfort" scale for global warming (8 degrees C).
"It's interesting that it is travelling through what we call an 'environmental boundary' which has relatively far-reaching effects," CNEOS research associate Justin Curry, a thesis assistant at the London School of Economics, co-wrote in a post on the agency's website. "Blocking the review paper with no impact statement must suggest the committee missed a trick..."
If 2020 P does reach Earth, 20 of us would be in its path. That's close to 2 billion, which is 1.8 million, or half of the world's population. Considering that the topography on this planet is naturally shaped, Earth's shape could be maintained. But if a portion of the atmosphere were flattened due to the impacts of 2000 P and event 2000 OE, this could happen very soon.
For now, folding of Earth's atmosphere is expected, which would happen in about one month it to happen, Milers said. No impact would occur before the 20-month mark.
Nobody knows what exactly will happen, but 2024 might also be a safe date to eat food, since the high-speed particles from the asteroid would have dissipated away through the atmosphere. If you miss the lunch, 2025, then the atmosphere could return to its status quo again, NASA predicts, which might mean the danger is even greater in the years after.
Secret Guardian Saga April Snaps up Authors
The Secret Guardian Saga Beta Book Bang is occuring next week, with Secret Guardian Saga ongoing stories by Ian Tregillis ( hegairfanelli) and Robert Silverberg ( Skitters), Lucy Knisley (X Files), Ryan North (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Daniel starsky (Seven Kingdoms) , and Alan Moore (V). Apologies for the lack of alpha/beta chapters, but it fits the queue well for the book
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