The asteroid 2015 RN35 will pass by Earth on December 15.
On December 15 at 3:12 a.m. EST , the asteroid called 2015 RN35 will come its closest to Earth, passing within around 430,000 miles . But it won’t be easy to spot!“We don’t call this a challenge for no reason. 2015 RN35 will not shine bright in the skies like the star of Bethlehem did millennia ago. No. Smaller than the statue of liberty this asteroid is pretty little on astronomical scales.
The agency goes on to say that this is a near-Earth asteroid that fascinates ESA’s Planetary Defence Office in particular because this type of asteroid gives key insights into the composition and trajectory of potentially hazardous objects. Right now, we don’t know much about the asteroid. “We don’t know what it’s made of or precisely how big it is or if it’s spinning on its axis or even know its orbit particularly well. ,” adds ESA.
In addition, ESA hopes to get data on the asteroid from different locations on Earth and find out more about the“This is the kind of work ESA’s NEOCC does every day, often with even dimmer asteroids using even larger telescopes, such as the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and others in the NEOCC’s network of rapid-access telescopes spread all over the globe,” explains Richard Moissl, ESA’s Head of Planetary Defence.
“With these observations, we determine the motion of asteroids and project their path into the future, in order to know if – when – an asteroid could strike. As the recent DART impact showed, and as ESA’s Hera mission will expand on, with enough warning, an asteroid impact is the only natural disaster we can prevent.”
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Philadelphia-Area Home Sales Plummet to Lowest Level Since 2015The housing market in Philadelphia is cooling quickly with the number of home sales dropping 33% year over year to 5,201 in November, the lowest level since 2015, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Read more »
TooFab's Week In Celebrity Photos: December 12 - December 17Gisele Bundchen SIZZLES in red carpet return after Tom Brady divorce (via toofab)
Read more »
Asteroid the size of a baseball field set for close encounter with EarthThe asteroid, named 2015 RN35, will be traveling at speeds of 13,220 miles per hour as it flies past our planet.
Read more »
Conservative House Members Want Right To Vote Out McCarthy Any Time They Want — Here's What To Know About The 'Motion To Vacate'A motion to vacate led to former House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation in 2015.
Read more »
Atypically Bearish Early December Bodes Poorly for Bitcoin InvestorsMarket Analysis: Historical pricing data for BTC suggests crypto winter will likely worsen next month. So far this month, bitcoin investors have suffered an average 0.08% daily loss – lower than the 0.20% average for December. GWilliamsJr_CMT reports
Read more »
Ethereum (ETH) Price Analysis for December 12Can ETH remain stronger than other altcoins? crypto Ethereum ETH $ETH cryptoexchange VitalikButerin ethereum
Read more »