NASA Asteroid 2019: 3 Tiny Asteroids To Zip Past Earth On Tuesday

NASA’s asteroid tracking system has spotted three space rocks that are currently hurtling towards Earth. If any of these asteroids collide with the planet, it will most likely create a huge explosion in the sky instead of hitting the ground.

According to the space agency’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the first asteroid that will approach Earth on Tuesday is called 2019 UT. As indicated in the agency’s database, this asteroid is currently moving with a speed of 25,120 miles per hour. It has an estimated diameter of 49 feet.

The second asteroid that will visit Earth’s neighborhood is called 2019 UF1. According to CNEOS, this asteroid is traveling at an average speed of almost 38,000 miles per hour. It is about 135 feet wide, making it the biggest space rock in the group.

Trailing behind these two asteroids is a near-Earth object known as 2019 UJ1. CNEOS noted that this asteroid is currently approaching Earth at a speed of 27,000 miles per hour and has an estimated diameter of about 59 feet.

Based on the sizes and average speed of these asteroids, they probably won’t cause impact events if they end up hitting Earth. Instead, these asteroids will most likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere and explode mid-air before hitting the ground.

However, this doesn’t mean that these asteroids are harmless. Back in 2013, an asteroid that was about 66 feet wide exploded in the sky over a populated region in Russia. Although the explosion happened near the atmosphere, it was still powerful enough to damage about 7,000 buildings on the ground. The incident also left over a thousand people injured.

Fortunately, none of the three approaching asteroids are in danger of colliding with Earth on their upcoming visit. According to CNEOS, 2019 UT will fly past Earth on Oct. 22 at 3:28 a.m. EDT from a distance of 0.00606 astronomical units or roughly 563,312 miles away.

2019 UF1, on the other hand, will approach the planet on Oct. 22 at 4:44 p.m. EDT. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.01661 astronomical units or roughly 1.5 million miles away from Earth.

As for 2019 UJ1, this asteroid is expected to enter Earth’s neighborhood on Oct. 22 at 11:33 p.m. EDT. Its closest distance from Earth will be about 0.01160 astronomical units or about 1 million miles away.