ASTEROID 153201

Subject: Science & tech

Context: A large asteroid – named (153201) 2000 WO107 – will sweep past Earth in late November, providing astronomers with a good opportunity to study it. Closest approach to Earth will happen on November 29, 2020.

Concept:

• The asteroid is expected to be a real monster, estimated to range anywhere between 12,00ft to 2,5700ft across (370m and 820m).
• To put this into perspective, the rogue space rock at it widest is almost the height of Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa skyscraper. However , it is not a hazardous asteroid.
• NASA has also forecast how the asteroid is currently speeding through space at a whopping 25.07km/s – the equivalent of 56,000mph.
• The asteroid will not be visible to the eye, but people with small telescopes might catch it. Astronomers are gearing up to observe this asteroid further, in part because of its relatively large size, and in part, because subsequent passes of 2000 WO107 will be closer than this year’s pass.
• It is a Near Earth Object (NEO).
• NASA defines a Near-Earth Object (NEO) as any asteroid or comet coming within 1.3 AU of Earth.

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs):

• NEOs are comets and asteroids pushed by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits which allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood.
• These objects are composed mostly of water ice with embedded dust particles.
• NEOs occasionally approach close to the Earth as they orbit the Sun.
• NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Study (CNEOS) determines the times and distances of these objects, when their approach to the Earth is close, through the Asteroid Watch Widget.