NASA Asteroid Tracker: Two Large Asteroids To Zip Past Earth On Wednesday

NASA has spotted two massive asteroids that are expected to approach Earth on Wednesday. One of the incoming asteroids is taller than the Washington Monument.

The first asteroid that will zip past Earth has been identified as 2019 QS. According to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), this asteroid is currently traveling at an impressive speed of 50,440 miles per hour. The agency estimated that the asteroid is about 223 feet long, making it almost as wide as the wingspan of a Boeing 747 plane.

CNEOS estimated that 2019 QS will fly past Earth on Aug. 28 at 2:31 am EDT. During its approach, the asteroid will be about 0.01411 astronomical units or roughly 1.3 million miles from the planet’s center.

2019 QS was first observed on Aug. 21. According to CNEOS, the asteroid is expected to return to Earth’s neighborhood on Nov. 30, 2127. During this time, it will be about 0.34733 astronomical units or around 32 million miles from the planet.

Trailing behind 2019 QS is the asteroid known as 2019 OU1. As indicated in CNEOS’ database, this asteroid has a velocity of 29,100 miles per hour and has a diameter of 558 feet. Given its size, the asteroid is capable of creating a crater that’s almost 2 miles wide if it hits Earth. During an impact event, this asteroid can destroy reinforced buildings several miles away from the point of impact.

According to CNEOS, 2019 OU1 will approach Earth on Aug. 28 at 6:36 am EDT. As it moves past Earth, its closest distance to the planet will be at 0.00688 astronomical units or around 640,000 miles away.

2019 OU1 was first observed on July 25. Aside from Earth, this asteroid is also known to closely approach Mars and the Moon. After its upcoming flyby, 2019 OU1 will visit Earth’s vicinity on Dec. 30, 2080. During this time, it will be about 0.33513 astronomical units or about 31 million miles from the planet.

Both 2019 QS and 2019 OU1 have been classified by CNEOS as Apollo asteroids. This means these asteroids have very wide orbits around the Earth and Sun. From time to time, they intersect with the orbit of Earth as it goes around the giant star.