KEY POINT
- NASA detected an asteroid approaching Earth
- 2020 EF has a natural orbit that intersects Earth’s path
- The approaching asteroid is big enough to cause a powerful airburst
An asteroid following an Earth-intersecting orbit is about to approach Earth in a couple of days. Based on the data collected by NASA, the asteroid is big enough to create a violent explosion in the atmosphere if it ends up colliding with the planet.
The approaching asteroid if currently being monitored by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNOES). According to CNEOS, the asteroid, which has been identified as 2020 EF, is currently moving towards Earth at a speed of over 10,000 miles per hour.
CNEOS estimated that the asteroid has a diameter of about 98 feet, making it slightly longer than the distances between baseball diamond bases.
According to CNEOS, 2020 EF is an Aten asteroid, which means it follows a natural orbit that crosses Earth’s path. As indicated in NASA’s orbit diagram for 2020 EF, the asteroid follows a very wide orbit around the Sun and almost follows the same path as Earth. Aside from intersections, the diagram also shows multiple near-approaches between 2020 EF and the planet.
Due to its size, 2020 EF will most likely not cause an impact event on Earth during a collision. Instead, the asteroid will probably break apart upon entering the atmosphere and cause an explosion in the sky.
Unfortunately, this does not automatically mean that a collision with 2020 EF will not be dangerous for Earth. As shown during the 2013 meteor explosion over the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, mid-air explosions caused by asteroids can be very dangerous.
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