Huge asteroid up to twice the size of Big Ben to enter Earth’s orbit in days

A massive asteroid up to twice the size of Big Ben is set to enter Earth’s orbit this weekend.

Scientists at NASA are tracking the space rock, and have dubbed it 2019 YM6.

It will enter the Earth’s orbit on Saturday, July 31, and is travelling at a speed of 30,131mph.

Scientists have estimated its diameter to be between 100-230m – while Big Ben stands at just 96m.

However, it will safely pass 4.27 million miles from the Earth.

For comparison, the moon is 238,855 miles away from us. However, the asteroid will pass closer than Venus, 125.9 million miles away.

2019 YM6 is classed as an Apollo asteroid, “near-Earth asteroid orbits which cross the Earth's orbit similar to that of 1862 Apollo”.

NASA is also tracking an asteroid called 2021 NL4, due to enter the Earth’s orbit on August 3.

However, it is thought to be smaller – measuring 51-110m in diameter.

It is travelling at a speed of 22,548mph, and will pass by Earth by nearly three million miles.

• 

  Trafford General Hospital fire: Blaze breaks out at hospital after lightning strike

In April, experts warned that a refugee crisis could be triggered by an asteroid collision.

Scientists came together for the Planetary Defense Conference in Vienna, Australia, to address theoretical asteroid threats.

The 2021 PDC Hypothetical Asteroid Impact Scenario formed a key part of the conference.

The exercise proposes that an asteroid will be discovered on April 21, and impact monitoring systems will identify October 20, 2021, as a potential impact date — giving Earth just six months to come up with a plan.

The brief reads: “The regions of the globe at risk will narrow considerably, first to an increasingly narrow corridor wrapping around much of the Earth, and then to a specific "footprint" location on the Earth.

"The predominant hazard is an airburst causing blast overpressures possibly reaching unsurvivable levels. The size of the potential blast damage area could range from local (a few kilometres) at the small end at the possible range of asteroid sizes, to regional (hundreds of kilometres) at the large end."

One of the groups involved with the conference was the Planetary Society, which said any major impact would create “refugee crises around the world”.

To keep up to date with all the latest news stories, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

Source: Read Full Article