An asteroid the size of a killer whale to graze Earth

Very regularly, the Earth nearly comes into contact with asteroids. While some of these celestial objects have the potential to eradicate life on our planet, these drifting asteroids are constantly being observed. And it just so happens that one of them will pass very close to us this week.

Asteroid 2022 NF

Unlike the planets in our solar system, which have (almost all) elegant mythological names, asteroids, exoplanets and other satellites often have complicated names. The asteroid that will graze the Earth this week is no exception to the rule, as it has the sweet name 2022 NF.

Discovered on Monday, July 4, and it is expected to pass close to us this Thursday (July 7). But don't panic, according to calculations, it should not collide with our planet. And if these calculations are inaccurate, 2022 NF is in any case too small to be considered dangerous.

An asteroid of up to 12 metres

According to observers, 2022 NF measures between 5 and 12 metres, more or less the size of the whale that was recently discovered in the Seine. The asteroid is expected to come within 90,000 kilometres of the Earth, which is very close compared to its predecessor, 7335 (1989 JA), which passed within 4,023,360 kilometres of us. However, it should be remembered that this other asteroid was much larger, with an estimated size of 1,798 metres, which is five times the size of the Empire State Building.

This article was translated from Gentside FR.

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