Asteroid Approaches on the 22nd-23rd... "No Collision Expected"

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] An asteroid with a diameter of up to 1.5 km passed by Earth in the early morning of the 22nd, sparking controversy over the risk of collision, but it has been confirmed that there is no risk of impact. Including this asteroid, about 2,000 asteroids pass near Earth, and among them, some pass closer to Earth than this asteroid, but the conclusion is that the possibility of collision with Earth is low.

Asteroid 136795 Passes Near Earth

According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute on the 21st, asteroid '136795' (1997 BQ) will approach Earth at a speed of 11.68 km per second around 6:45 a.m. the next day (Korean time). This asteroid was also reported by a foreign media outlet as a satellite that might collide with Earth.

However, the institute announced that as of the 22nd, the closest approach distance to Earth is about 6.15 million km (16 times the Earth-Moon distance), so there is no risk of collision with Earth. This asteroid is classified as a 'Potentially Hazardous Asteroid' (PHA), which refers to near-Earth asteroids with orbits that approach Earth closely, specifically those with a closest approach distance within 0.05 AU (astronomical units) and a diameter of 140 meters or more.

No Risk of Earth Collision from Currently Discovered Asteroids

The institute stated that among the currently discovered asteroids, none pose a collision risk. So far, 22,811 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered, and among them, 2,084 are classified as Potentially Hazardous Asteroids like asteroid '136795'.

For example, asteroids 2020 KD1, 2020 KW1, and 2020 KU, expected to pass by on the 22nd to 23rd, will approach Earth to about 1 LD (Lunar Distance, approximately 384,000 km). However, the institute explained that there is no possibility of collision with Earth.

An official from the astronomy institute said, "We conduct continuous monitoring of asteroid collision risks and research on space hazard surveillance," adding, "Since 136795 will pass over the southern hemisphere of Earth, it will be difficult to observe it from our country."

This is the list of asteroids approaching Earth within this month as revealed by the space environment monitoring agency NASSO. Among them, many pass closer to Earth than asteroid 136795.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.