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NASA predicts 5 asteroids to fly close to Earth this year
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An artist’s illustration of an asteroid. (Inquirer.net/File)
T
he National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) continues to be Earth’s “safety net” against threats from beyond outer space.
Through its famed asteroid detection site, the space agency announced the possibility of five asteroids that are set to make close encounter to our planet this year.
According to reports from the United Kingdom-based newspaper The Sun, some of these asteroids may come as close as 0.15 lunar distances to Earth—enough to warrant concern from the government body.
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The nearest encounter is expected to occur on July 23, when a 300 feet in diameter space rock called “2017 BS5” is expected to come within 3.15 lunar distances (752,937 miles) of Earth, the report said.
The biggest and possibly the most threatening risk, meanwhile, is an 88-foot asteroid dubbed “2012 TC4”, which is projected to blow past at 0.15 lunar distances on October 12.
Currently, NASA has employed a team of astrophysicists to regularly monitor the problematic space rocks.
Still, NASA reminded everyone to remain calm, as there is still no guarantee that the asteroids will indeed collide with Earth.
This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
