Bottom Science
A supermassive asteroid named 2019 NJ2 is approaching towards Earth today (July 19). According to the NASA’s CNEOS (Center for Near-Earth Studies), asteroid 2019 NJ2, with an estimated diameter of around 63 meters, will reach its closes distance to Earth on July 19 at 7.53 pm (Standard Time) on Saturday. It’s estimated that asteroid 2019 NJ2 is currently traveling at a speed of nearly 50,000 kilometers per hour. Do we have to worry about it? Nope, because the asteroid 2019 NJ2 will pass by the Earth and we are fully safe.
Asteroid 2019 NJ2 was first observed on June 29 this year. It was first flew by Venus in 1952. CNEOS predicted that the asteroid is expected to return on July 7, 2119, during which it will be at much farther distance from our planet as compared to its upcoming approach today.
More than 500 asteroids have passed within 7.5 million km of the Earth this year since January alone. But why asteroids are approaching towards Earth? And the answer is that the gravitational force of Earth pulls all the asteroids and therefore they come so close to our planet.
Last year on December 18, a massive meteorite blasted over the Bering Sea, releasing 10 times more energy than the Hiroshima atomic bomb explosion during World War II. According to NASA, the explosion of meteoroid unleashed around 173 kilotons of energy. However, the 173 kilotons explosion went unnoticed as it happened in a remote area.
