According to experts, an asteroid of this size hits Earth approximately every 600,000 years. This will not be the case.
A large stony (rocky) asteroid classified as “Potentially dangerous asteroid”, due to its size and its periodic visits to our planet, will pass through the Earth on January 18, 2022, at 21:51 UTC. Its size: one kilometer in length, approximately two and a half times the height of the Empire State Building in New York, United States.
According to experts, an asteroid of this size hits Earth approximately every 600,000 years. And fortunately, this will not be the case. The asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 will pass close to our planet safely at a distance five times that of the Moon: more than 1.98 million kilometers from Earth. The calculations of its trajectory only have a margin of error of 133 kilometers. This approximation will be the closest for this asteroid for at least the next 200 years.
Asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1: orbit is well established
Robert McNaught discovered the asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 at the Siding Spring Observatory (Australia) on August 9, 1994. With its trajectory in hand, astronomers found the space rock in earlier images from other observations dating back to September 1974. With 47 years of observations, its orbit is well established.
The last approach occurred 89 years ago, on January 17, 1933, at a slightly closer (but still very safe) distance of 1.1 million kilometers. Se hopes that next time it will be at a similar distance from Earth on January 18, 2105.
The asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 is classified as type S: rich in siliceous material, usually moderately bright, often composed of iron and magnesium silicates. This type of asteroid is the second most common type after the C-type carbonaceous.
The huge space rock is traveling at 19.56 kilometers per second relative to Earth. This considerable speed will allow amateur astronomers to detect the fast asteroid. It will appear as a point of light, similar to a star. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
