Asteroid 2013 NK4, classified as “potentially hazardous,” has just made a close approach to Earth.
According to Live Science, astronomers in the United States will have a chance to observe this asteroid in the sky using personal telescopes over three nights: April 15, 16, and 17, which are the three nights following its close approach to Earth.
On the night of April 15 Eastern Daylight Time, which corresponds to the morning of April 16 in Vietnam, observers from Vietnam can enjoy viewing 2013 NK4 tonight.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), this asteroid reached its closest point to Earth at 10:50 PM on April 15, Vietnam time.
An asteroid passing by Earth – (AI-generated image).
Although classified as “potentially hazardous,” this time, the asteroid, nicknamed “city killer,” poses no threat to us as it passed at a distance of 3.2 million kilometers, which is eight times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
As it flew past us, 2013 NK4 traveled at a speed of up to 59,000 km/h.
However, space agencies around the world will undoubtedly continue to monitor 2013 NK4 in the future, as it will pass by Earth multiple times again.
2013 NK4 is dubbed “city killer” by astronomers because calculations suggest it could obliterate an entire city if it were to collide with Earth.
This close approach provides scientists with a golden opportunity to study 2013 NK4 using specialized radar, offering more clarity about its size, shape, and other characteristics related to this asteroid.
Preliminary estimates indicate that the largest width of this rock is about 610 meters. Although discovered in 2013, there is very little data on 2013 NK4, so this estimate and predictions about its shape may be subject to inaccuracies.
