WIll An Asteroid Hit Earth On Monday?

It looks like Election Day isn't the only event being anticipated this week, as a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is heading toward Earth just a day before the election, possibly even hitting the planet on Monday.

The asteroid, identified as 2018 VP1, is currently making its way toward Earth at 25,000 miles per hour. According to CNEOS' Close Approach Data Table, 2018VP1 could get as large as a refrigerator (12 feet). Although 2018 VP1 can possibly make an impact on Earth, NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies assures us that the asteroid's size is still relatively small for it to pose any significant harm to Earth.

Renowned scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently warned his followers on Instagram about 2018 VP1, sharing that the asteroid may buzz cut Earth a day before Election Day. Scheduled to meet the planet at 7:33 a.m. EDT on Nov. 2 (Monday), the NEA could get as close as 7,688.04 kilometers from the Earth's surface, according to the table.

NASA's Asteroid Watch also reassured those who are worrying about the said NEA that 2018 VP1 only has a 0.41% chance of entering the Earth's atmosphere. And even if it did, it is no threat to the planet.

2018VP1 is an asteroid first discovered two years ago on Nov. 13. Considered an Apollo asteroid, this NEA has an Earth-crossing orbit, which means that at a certain point, its orbit intersects with that of the Earth's.

Following 2018 VP1's flyby, asteroid 2020 UA3 is set to make its way past Earth on the same day. Expected at 8:55 p.m. EDT, 2020 UA3 is half as tall as the Arc de Triomphe in France, which stands at 160 feet. The 88-foot NEA will zip by at a distance of about 1,300,000 miles from the planet's surface.

2020 UA3 has not been included in the European Space Agency's Risk List, and will safely pass by Earth late in the evening.