NASA Asteroid Tracker: 292-Foot And 154-Foot Asteroids Skim Earth On Tuesday

NASA is currently monitoring two large asteroids that are expected to dangerously approach Earth. According to the space agency, one of the incoming asteroids is almost as big as the Statue of Liberty.

NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) reported that the first asteroid to approach Earth is called 2019 OF2. As indicated in the agency’s database, this asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of 24,000 miles per hour and has an estimated diameter of 292 feet.

2019 OF2 is expected to fly past Earth on Sept. 2 at 9:13 pm EDT. During its approach, the asteroid will be about 0.04676 astronomical units or roughly 4.3 million miles from the Earth’s center.

According to CNEOS, 2019 OF2 was first observed on July 26. Aside from Earth, the asteroid is also known to approach Mars. After this week’s approach, 2019 OF2 will return to Earth’s neighborhood on Jan. 18, 2064 and will fly from a distance of 0.36661 astronomical units or 34 million miles away.

Trailing behind 2019 OF2 is an asteroid known as 2018 DE1. According to CNEOS, this asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of 15,000 miles per hour. The agency estimated that 2018 DE1 is about 154 feet long.

This asteroid is expected to approach Earth on Sept. 3 at 3:30 pm EDT. 2018 DE1 will fly at a distance of 0.03254 astronomical units or about 3 million miles from the Earth’s center.

2018 DE1 was first observed on Feb. 23, 2018. The last time the asteroid approached Earth was on Feb. 27. During this time, it was about 0.05066 astronomical units or roughly 4.7 million miles from the planet.

The asteroid is expected to return to Earth’s vicinity on Feb. 24, 2020. It will approach the planet from a distance of 0.12853 astronomical units or about 12 million miles away.

Both 2019 OF2 and 2018 DE1 are categorized as Apollo asteroids. According to CNEOS, Apollo asteroids have a very wide orbit that takes them around the Earth and the Sun. From time to time, their orbit intersects with that of Earth as it goes around the giant star.