NASA Asteroid Tracker: Two Tiny NEOs Zip Closely To Earth Friday

NASA is currently tracking two asteroids that are expected to approach Earth on Friday. According to the agency, the incoming space boulders come from a family of asteroids that are known to intersect with Earth’s orbit.

The first asteroid that will fly close to Earth Friday has been identified as 2019 QR3. According to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), this asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of 25,500 miles per hour. It has an estimated diameter of 75 feet, making it almost as long as the distances between baseball bases.

CNEOS predicted that 2019 QR3 will enter Earth’s neighborhood on Aug. 30 at 3:47 am EDT. During its approach, the asteroid will be about 0.01457 astronomical units or roughly 1.3 million miles from the planet’s center.

2019 QR3 was first observed on Aug. 27. According to CNEOS, the asteroid is not expected to return to Earth’s vicinity until Jan. 14, 2060. During this time, the asteroid will fly past Earth from a distance of 0.41154 astronomical units or roughly 38 million miles.

The second asteroid that will approach Earth is called 2019 QU4. This asteroid is currently flying at a velocity of 18,800 miles per hour. It has an estimated diameter of 210 feet, which is about as long as the wingspan of a Boeing 747 plane.

As indicated in CNEOS’ database, 2019 QU4 will approach Earth on Aug. 30 at 6:47 pm EDT. The asteroid will only be about 0.01185 astronomical units or around 1.1 million miles away from the planet’s center during its approach.

2019 QU4 was first observed on Aug. 28. Aside from Earth, the asteroid is also known to fly close to Mars. According to CNEOS, the asteroid’s next near-Earth approach will take place on July 28, 2031. The agency estimated that the asteroid will be about 0.45499 astronomical units or around 42 million miles from the planet during its future visit.

Both 2019 QR3 and 2019 QU4 are classified as Apollo asteroids. Like other Apollo asteroids, 2019 QR3 and 2019 QU4have very wide orbits around the Sun and the Earth. From time to time, their paths intersect with that of Earth as it orbits the Sun.