NASA Asteroid Tracker: 3 Earth-Intersecting NEOs Approaching, Flying Past Planet Tuesday

NASA has detected three Earth-crossing asteroids that are expected to approach the planet on Tuesday (April 28).

According to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the first asteroid that will fly past the planet on Tuesday is known as 2020 HP. As the biggest asteroid in the group, this space rock measures about 295 feet wide.

CNEOS noted that this asteroid would safely approach Earth on April 28 at 3:40 p.m. EDT with a speed of 23,000 miles per hour. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.03615 astronomical units or 3.7 million miles away from the planet’s center.

The second asteroid that will visit Earth’s vicinity has been identified as 2020 HG3. According to CNEOS, this asteroid has an estimated diameter of about 118 feet. It is currently moving across space towards Earth at a speed of almost 25,000 miles per hour.

2020 HG3 will fly past the planet on April 28 at 7:16 p.m. EDT. It will approach the planet from a distance of 0.03193 astronomical units, which is equivalent to almost 3 million miles.

Trailing behind 2020 HG3 is an asteroid known as 2020 HJ6. This asteroid measures at about 92 feet wide and is flying across the Solar System at an average velocity of 37,000 miles per hour.

Although 2020 HG3 is the smallest asteroid in the group, it will approach the Earth from the closest distance. According to CNEOS, 2020 HG3 will zip past the planet on April 28 at 8:00 p.m. EDT from about 0.00432 astronomical units or roughly 402,000 miles away. This is almost equivalent to twice the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

All three approaching asteroids are classified as members of the Apollo family of space rocks. This means that they follow natural orbits that occasionally intersect Earth’s path as it travels around the Sun.