NASA Asteroid Tracker: 2 NEOs May Explode In Earth's Atmosphere This Weekend

NASA has spotted two asteroids that will fly close to Earth this weekend. Given the size of the asteroids, they will most likely explode in Earth’s atmosphere if they hit the planet.

The first asteroid that will approach Earth has been identified by NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 2019 SO1. According to the agency, this asteroid is moving with a speed of almost 17,000 miles per hour. It has an estimated diameter of around 85 feet.

Trailing behind 2019 SO1 is an asteroid known as 2019 SH3. As indicated in CNEOS’ database, this asteroid is approaching Earth with a velocity of almost 32,000 miles hour. The agency noted that 2019 SH3 is about 135 meters wide.

Compared to other asteroids that are known to fly close to Earth, 2019 SO1 and 2019 SH3 are relatively smaller. Due to their small size, these asteroids will most likely not hit the ground if they collide with Earth. Instead, 2019 SO1 and 2019 SH3 will probably detonate mid-air shortly after breaching the planet’s atmosphere.

Unfortunately, this does not automatically mean that the people of Earth are safe from these two asteroids. After all, they are still bigger than the asteroid that exploded over Russia’s Chelyabinsk Oblast region in 2013.

According to reports, the space rock, which was about 66 feet wide, hit Earth with a speed of about 42,900 miles per hour. After entering Earth’s atmosphere, it exploded mid-air and released energy equivalent to 500 kilotons of TNT, which is 33 times more powerful than the atomic bomb used by the U.S. in Hiroshima, Japan in World War II.

Although the bulk of the explosion was absorbed by the atmosphere, it was still powerful enough to damage thousands of buildings on the ground. The incident also left about 1,500 people injured.

Fortunately, CNEOS noted that 2019 SO1 and 2019 SH3 are not in danger of hitting Earth during their upcoming visit. According to the agency, 2019 SO1 will approach the planet on Sept. 29 at 5:19 am EDT. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.02901 astronomical units or around 2.7 million miles from Earth.

2019 SH3, on the other hand, will visit Earth’s neighborhood on Sept. 29 at 9:37 pm EDT. The asteroid is expected to approach Earth from a distance of 0.00804 astronomical units or roughly 747,000 miles away.