An asteroid 5 times the size of the Eiffel Tower will pass "close" to Earth on May 27
About 20,000 objects threaten the Earth and despite the various monitoring programs coordinated at the global level, less than 30% of them are today identified and listed. The smallest, with a minimum diameter of one hundred meters, very often remain invisible. NASA monitors the skies and tries to predict future NEOs that may impact Earth, either mildly or devastatingly. This year, an asteroid four times the size of the Empire State Building (and 5 times that of the Eiffel Tower) will pass “close” to us on May 27.
Asteroids regularly fly by Earth , and asteroid 7335 (1989 JA) is one of 29,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) that NASA tracks each year. Near-Earth objects refer to celestial bodies whose orbit around the Sun crosses that of the Earth and are thus likely to pass within 48 million kilometers of Earth's orbit, according to NASA. They are often referred to by the acronym NEO, from the English Near Earth Object (“Near Earth Object”). These objects are mostly asteroids (NEAs, or near- Earth asteroids ), but there are also a few comets. The majority of these objects are extremely small, but this asteroid, at 1.8 km in diameter, is much larger than many of them.
Monitoring these NEOs is paramount. Moreover, they are celestial bodies that respond to well-defined physical laws, and their orbit is therefore predictable. It is possible to predict their behavior and assess the risks of impact with the Earth. This is how asteroid 7335 will fly past Earth on May 27.
Asteroids regularly fly by Earth , and asteroid 7335 (1989 JA) is one of 29,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) that NASA tracks each year. Near-Earth objects refer to celestial bodies whose orbit around the Sun crosses that of the Earth and are thus likely to pass within 48 million kilometers of Earth's orbit, according to NASA. They are often referred to by the acronym NEO, from the English Near Earth Object (“Near Earth Object”). These objects are mostly asteroids (NEAs, or near- Earth asteroids ), but there are also a few comets. The majority of these objects are extremely small, but this asteroid, at 1.8 km in diameter, is much larger than many of them.
Monitoring these NEOs is paramount. Moreover, they are celestial bodies that respond to well-defined physical laws, and their orbit is therefore predictable. It is possible to predict their behavior and assess the risks of impact with the Earth. This is how asteroid 7335 will fly past Earth on May 27.
Should we fear this asteroid?
According to NASA , 7335 (1989 JA) is the largest asteroid that will come close to Earth this year. In view of its size, concern is in order. NASA has classified the asteroid as "potentially hazardous", meaning it could cause enormous damage to our planet if its orbit changes until it crosses Earth's path. This asteroid is classified as an Apollo (or Apollo) asteroid. The Apollo family includes near-Earth asteroids orbiting the Sun while periodically crossing Earth's orbit.
But rest assured, asteroid 7335 will remain more than 4 million kilometers away – nearly 10 times the average distance between Earth and the Moon. Scientists estimate that the object is moving at around 76,000 km/h. It was discovered on May 1, 1989 by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at the US Palomar Observatory in California and last observed on March 26, 2022. The next flyby is scheduled for June 23, 2055, when it will pass even further, about 70 times the Earth-Moon distance.
Orbits of asteroid 7335 (white) and Earth (blue), May 23, 2022. :copyright: NASA
An improved monitoring system
Currently, NASA JPL's Center for Near Earth Object Studies monitors approaching objects . But the capacities remain reduced for the smallest objects, most often detected only a few hours before their flyby of the Earth , preventing any reaction (protection of the population or attempted deviation) in the event that their orbits cross the Earth.
For example, a new NASA program will begin operations in 2026. The Near-Earth Object Surveyor (NEO Surveyor) space telescope is designed to advance NASA's planetary defense efforts, including discovering and characterizing the most potentially dangerous asteroids and comets within 30 million kilometers of Earth's orbit.
NEO Surveyor consists of a single scientific instrument: a 50 centimeter diameter telescope that operates in two heat-sensitive infrared wavelengths. It will be able to detect both bright and dark asteroids, which are the hardest to find.
After launch, NEO Surveyor will conduct a five-year baseline survey to find at least two-thirds of near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters in diameter, scientists hope. These are objects massive enough to cause major regional damage in the event of impact with the Earth. By using two heat-sensitive infrared imaging channels, NEO Surveyor can make precise size measurements and gain valuable information about the composition, shape, rotational state and orbit of NEOs.
A defense system in the trial phase
If a threatening asteroid were discovered months or even years in advance, an impactor would be sent in its direction to redirect it away from Earth. This is what NASA is currently testing, in collaboration with the ESA, as part of the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission.
According to NASA, DART is the first-ever mission dedicated to studying and demonstrating a method of deflecting asteroids, by altering an asteroid's motion through space through kinetic impact. This test consists of causing DART to deliberately collide, head-on, with a target asteroid – which poses no threat to Earth – in order to modify its speed and trajectory. The DART target is the binary near-Earth asteroid system Didymos, consisting of “Didymos” (about 780 meters in diameter) and “Dimorphos” (about 160 meters in diameter), which orbits Didymos. DART will impact, in the fall of 2022, Dimorphos to modify its orbit in the binary system. Subsequently,
Diagram of the DART mission. :copyright:NASA
In the meantime, the approach of 7335 (1989 JA) will be a good opportunity for scientists to better observe the asteroid, as well as an incredible chance for amateur astronomers to spot it in the sky. To do this, you will have to look in the southern sky towards the constellation of Hydra. However, a telescope will be needed to make out the asteroid, as it is not large/bright enough to see with the naked eye.
https://trustmyscience.com/asteroide-7335-2-kilometres-diametre-proche-terre-27-mai/?fbclid=IwAR1nphWji_lanByxLOaSNDtJQ3ptPLl4rnlQbo9_B6wE-A1NTgesFSB-GEI