NASA Asteroid 2019: 2 Tiny NEOs Could Explode In Sky This Wednesday

NASA is currently monitoring two asteroids that are headed for Earth. If any of these asteroids hit the planet, they will most likely cause a huge explosion in the atmosphere.

The first asteroid that’s set to fly past Earth on Wednesday has been identified as 2019 UH7. According to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), this asteroid is currently flying towards Earth at a speed of about 13,870 miles per hour. The agency estimated that the asteroid is about 56 feet wide.

The second asteroid that will approach Earth tomorrow is called 2019 UM8. As indicated in CNEOS’ database, this asteroid is currently moving at a speed of 15,680 miles per hour and has an estimated diameter of around 39 feet.

According to CNEOS, these two asteroids have been classified as Apollos due to their orbits. Like other Apollo asteroids, 2019 UH7 and 2019 UM8 have very wide orbits that take them around the Sun and the Earth. From time to time, their orbits intersect with that of Earth as it goes around the giant star.

If these asteroids end up colliding with Earth, they will most likely not reach the ground. Due to the size and speed, these asteroids will not be able to penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. Instead, they’ll probably burn up in the atmosphere and explode mid-air.

However, this does not automatically mean that these two asteroids are harmless. As past reports have shown, airbursts caused by asteroids can be quite dangerous and destructive.

For instance, back in 2013, an asteroid that was about 66 feet wide exploded over a region in Russia. The energy from the blast was equivalent to about 30 atomic bombs. Although the bulk of the explosion was absorbed by the atmosphere, a small percentage of it still reached the ground. According to reports, the blast damaged around 7,000 buildings in the area and left about 1,500 people injured.

As for 2019 UH7 and 2019 UM8, CNEOS noted that these asteroids are not in danger of hitting Earth during their upcoming approach. 2019 UH7 will fly past Earth on Oct. 30 at 9:19 am EDT from a distance of 0.02557 astronomical units or roughly 2.3 million miles away.

2019 UM8, on the other hand, will approach the planet on Oct. 30 at 4:42 p.m. EDT. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.01518 astronomical units or roughly 1.4 million miles from the planet’s center.