An asteroid is approaching our Earth! Scheduled to pass very close to us overnight from Thursday to Friday, what if this space pebble put our planet and our satellites in danger? Rest assured, everything should be fine. Here’s why.
It’s already too late, an asteroid the size of a bus spotted by an astronomer on January 21, 2023 will approach very close to our Earth tomorrow. Nicknamed 2023 BU and discovered by Gennadiy Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Crimea, on January 26 this space pebble will be at an altitude of just over 3500 kilometers above the surface of the planet!
Read > This site shows you what would happen if an asteroid crashed into your home
Will the asteroid graze the Earth and our satellites?
It is the 4th largest asteroid to approach Earth and nothing can stop it until it comes tomorrow. It is therefore overnight from Thursday to Friday that the space pebble will come into contact with the Earth’s atmosphere.
Due to its relatively small size, the asteroid will be difficult to spot without a powerful telescope in addition to a qualified operator.
But rest assured, a virtual telescope project available at this address will broadcast the event live. Ideal for witnessing the passage of this space pebble as close as possible to our Earth. Gianluca Masi, Italian astrophysicist and astronomer, says: The asteroid 2023 BU will meet us very closely, but safely, less than 10,000 km from the center of the Earth or approximately 25% of the distance of geostationary satellites “.
If our satellites appear to be in danger due to their proximity to the asteroid, everything should be fine.
What consequences if the asteroid hits Paris?
What if the asteroid were to hit our Earth? And more precisely the capital of France, Paris? There is 0.15% of ” chance for such a scenario to occur, that of touching the Earth, with a speed of 11.41 km/s with an energy of 2.3e-3 Mt.
Don’t worry, we’re not in Armageddon with Bruce Willis so our planet wouldn’t explode! The asteroid wouldn’t wipe an entire borough off the map but could be enough to burn everyone to the third degree within a radius of 750 meters.
Consequences very real and disastrous for human lives which would be strongly impacted. But again, everything should be fine between Thursday and Friday.
