The first asteroid will approach Earth in 2023

The discovery of asteroid 2023 AV on January 13 is a significant achievement of the Catalina Sky Survey Project in the United States. This asteroid passed 9,180 km from Earth and was detected by one of the project’s observation devices.

Illustration of an asteroid approaching Earth.

Illustration of an asteroid approaching Earth.

The geosynchronous orbit – where many communications satellites operate – has an altitude of more than 35,000 km. That means, asteroid 2023 AV even closer to Earth than satellites. This object flew over the Atlantic Ocean, near French Guiana.

2023 AV is 2 to 5 m wide, quite small, and not dangerous by asteroid and near-Earth object standards. If an asteroid of this size crashes into Earth, as has happened in the past, it will most likely be burned up in the atmosphere. This helps to guarantee the safety of people, while creating a “fireball” Spectacular in the sky.

For example, Chelyabinsk – the meteorite that exploded over Russia in 2013 – is about 10 times larger than 2023 BC, but only a small, boulder-sized piece survived to reach the ground.

2023 AV is the first asteroid to pass near Earth at a closer distance than the Moon in 2023. This is also the 17th closest visit to the asteroid since 1901. Another slightly larger asteroid, 2023 AC1also flew closer to Earth than the Moon’s orbit a few hours later, but about 160,000 km from the blue planet’s surface.

Experts say there is no need to worry about small asteroids like 2023 AV or 2023 AC1. The highest risk comes from large objects that humans have not yet discovered, especially objects approaching Earth from the direction of the Sun, in the Sun’s region. “blind spot”. Upcoming missions, like NASA’s NEO Surveyor space telescope, will bring new perspectives to space, helping people better prepare in the event of an asteroid arrival.

Article source: VnExpress