Asteroid to make “close approach” with Earth today
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A handout Doppler radar image made available by the Arecibo Observatory shows asteroid (52768) 1998 OR 2, which is approximately 2 km in diameter, approaching earth’s orbit, 18 April 2020 (issued 26 April 2020).
Scientists are tracking the flyby of the asteroid, which is expected on 29 April 2020, according to NASA.
While this is known as a “close approach” by astronomers, it’s still very far away: The asteroid will get no closer than about 3.9 million miles (6.3 million kilometers), passing more than 16 times farther away than the Moon.
A combination of handout Doppler radar images made available by the Arecibo Observatory shows asteroid (52768) 1998 OR, which is approximately 2 km in diameter, at different stages of rotation, as it approaches earth’s orbit, pictures taken on 18 and 19 April 2020 (issued 26 April 2020). EPA-EFE/ARECIBO OBSERVATORY/NASA/NSF HANDOUT
Close approaches by large asteroids like 1998 OR2 are quite rare. The previous close approach by a large asteroid was made by asteroid Florence in September 2017. That 3-mile-wide (5-kilometer-wide) object zoomed past Earth at 18 lunar distances. On average, we expect asteroids of this size to fly by our planet this close roughly once every five years.
