NASA Warns Of 2 Apollo Asteroids Currently Headed For Earth

NASA’s asteroid tracking system is currently monitoring two near-Earth objects that are expected to approach the planet tomorrow. According to the agency, the approaching space rocks are Apollo asteroids, which means they have Earth-intersecting orbits.

The first asteroid that will approach Earth tomorrow has been identified by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 2020 CT. As indicated in the data collected by the agency, this asteroid has an estimated diameter of about 46 feet. It is currently traveling across the Solar System at a speed of almost 30,000 miles per hour.

Trailing behind 2020 CT is an asteroid that has been identified as 2020 BY13. Although this asteroid is moving slower than 2020 CT at 21,000 miles per hour, it is significantly bigger. According to CNEOS, this asteroid measures about 157 feet wide.

Both 2020 CT and 2020 BY13 belong to the Apollo family of asteroids. Like other asteroids that belong to this group, 2020 CT and 2020 BY13 follow natural orbits that intersect Earth’s path around the Sun. According to NASA’s projections, these two asteroids will cross Earth’s orbit as they approach their closest distance from the massive star.

Although Apollo asteroids are known as one of the most dangerous types of space rocks due to their Earth-crossing orbits, 2020 CT and 2020 BY13 are not in danger of causing an impact event even if they collide with the planet.

Due to their size, these asteroids most likely won’t hit the ground. Instead, they will burn up in the atmosphere and cause powerful explosions in the sky. However, this does not mean that these two approaching asteroids are harmless.

If these asteroids hit Earth, the energy from their mid-air explosions would be equivalent to several atomic bombs. Although much of the explosion would be absorbed by the atmosphere, the energy from the blast would still be powerful enough to cause structural damages to buildings on the ground.

According to CNEOS, 2020 CT will intersect Earth’s path on Feb. 5 at 3:51 a.m. EST. During this time, the asteroid will be 0.01098 astronomical units or roughly 1 million miles from the planet’s center.

2020 BY13, on the other hand, will fly past the planet on Feb. 5 at 9:50 a.m. EST from a distance of 0.02760 astronomical units or 2.6 million miles away.