NASA Asteroid 2019: 161-Foot NEO To Zip Past Earth This Thursday

NASA’s asteroid tracker has identified a space rock that’s currently hurtling towards Earth. Based on the size of the incoming asteroid, it will most likely create a huge explosion in the atmosphere if it ends up hitting Earth on Thursday.

The approaching asteroid has been identified by NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 2019 TE2. This asteroid has been classified as a member of the Apollo group of space rocks. Like other members of the group, 2019 TE2 has a very wide orbit that takes it around the Earth and the Sun. Occasionally, the asteroid’s orbit intersects with that of Earth as it travels around the massive star.

According to CNEOS, this asteroid is currently flying towards Earth with an average speed of about 22,500 miles per hour. The asteroid has an estimated diameter of 161 feet, making it bigger than the Chicago Water Tower.

2019 TE2 is significantly more massive than the asteroid that exploded over a Russian region known as Chelyabinsk Oblast in 2013. That asteroid, which was about 66 feet wide, detonated in the atmosphere and released energy equivalent to about 30 atomic bombs.

Since it exploded mid-air, a bulk of its energy was absorbed by the atmosphere. However, the small percentage of the asteroid’s energy that was deflected onto Earth was still powerful enough to cause significant damage on the ground. According to reports, the asteroid’s airburst damaged around 7,000 buildings in the area and caused injuries for about 1,500 people.

Even though 2019 TE2 is larger than the Chelyabinsk asteroid, its chances of penetrating Earth’s atmosphere are slim. Given its size and current speed, 2019 TE2 will most likely burn up in the atmosphere and explode mid-air. If this happens, it will probably release higher energy than the Chelyabinsk asteroid.

Fortunately, Earth is currently not in danger of getting hit by 2019 TE2. As indicated by CNEOS, the asteroid is expected to approach Earth on Oct. 17 at 8:53 pm EDT. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.02112 astronomical units or roughly 1.9 million miles from the planet’s center.