AN asteroid is projected to pass by Earth on Thursday, March 24, 2022, eleven years after it was first discovered.
The large asteroid, named 2013 BO76, will pass relatively close to our blue planet from only 3.1million kilometers away.
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When will asteroid 2013 BO76 pass earth?
Asteroid 2013 BO76 is estimated to be between 600 and 1500 feet and will pass by Earth on March 24, 2022, at 6.55pm ET.
Nasa first discovered the asteroid on January 17, 2013, when it was 15million miles away from the Earth’s atmosphere.
The size of Asteroid 2013 BO76 classifies it as potentially hazardous and Nasa is closely monitoring its distance to Earth.
On its approach, the asteroid will make its closest approach, passing within three million kilometers of Earth, more than 13 times farther away than the moon.
Newsweek reported that according to orbital predictions, the asteroid won’t pass by Earth again until the year 2193.
What impact has asteroids had on Earth?
NASA is closely monitoring Asteroid 2013 BO76 which is roughly the size of the Empire State Building and could cause mass devastation if it made contact with Earth’s surface.
The cause for concern stems from past asteroids that have decimated regions and wiped out entire populations.
In order for an asteroid to be considered as a near-Earth object threat by Nasa, it has to come within 4.6million miles of Earth and have a diameter of 460 feet.
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The most notable of all asteroids was 6-miles in diameter and collided with what is now the Yucatán Peninsula 65 million years ago. That asteroid wiped out most of the Earth’s plant and animal species, including the dinosaurs.
More recently, a 164-foot asteroid crashed in Siberia in 1908, destroying nearly 80million trees across 830 square miles, and in 2013, an asteroid measuring 65 feet exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia and injured more than 1,100 people, and caused $33million in damage.
Read our Asteroid live blog for the very latest news and updates…
What was the last major asteroid to pass Earth in 2022?
Asteroid 7482 passed by Earth on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, and NASA reported it was discovered in 1994.
The asteroid passed at a speed of 47,344 miles per hour and was accompanied by three other asteroids.
According to CNN, the additional asteroids were not as large as 7482 and didn’t pass as close to Earth as 7482.
When is the next asteroid passing by Earth?
The next near-Earth object threat will be in March 2023, when Asteroid 2005 ED224 will come closest to the planet.
Traveling at a speed of 61,000mph, the 164-foot asteroid has a 1 in 500,000 probability of colliding with the Earth.
NASA is prepared for potential astronomical threats and has a series of defenses against the possibility of collision.
NASA reported its September mission will be to focus on the asteroid Didymos in which they plan to deliberately crash a spacecraft into the asteroid.
If an asteroid is considered a danger to Earth, NASA will consider deploying a spacecraft to collide with the asteroid to hopefully shift it out of the Earth’s orbit.
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