Two asteroids with estimated diameters of up to 220m and 320m will approach Earth next week, but no collision is expected.
Illustration of asteroids flying close to Earth. (Photo: NASA)
The two asteroids, 2016 CZ31 and 2013 CU83, are set to “visit” Earth this weekend, according to data from NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). 2016 CZ31 will pass within approximately 2.7 million kilometers of our planet at 6:02 AM on July 30 (Hanoi time), which is about seven times the average distance between the Earth and the Moon.
In the scale of the Solar System, this is a relatively close distance. However, 2016 CZ31 is not expected to collide with Earth during this visit. At its closest approach, the asteroid will be traveling at speeds of up to 55,500 km/h, according to CNEOS, which is approximately 17 times faster than a rifle bullet.
2016 CZ31 is estimated to have a diameter of about 97 – 220m. This asteroid is one of over 29,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) that scientists have discovered to date. Some of these objects are classified as “potentially hazardous” based on their orbits and estimated sizes. However, no object of this type that scientists are monitoring poses a collision risk with Earth for the next 100 years, according to CNEOS director Paul Chodas.
The second asteroid approaching Earth, 2013 CU83, is expected to pass within about 6.9 million kilometers of Earth at 6:37 AM on July 31, which is more than double the distance of 2016 CZ31. However, this asteroid may be larger than 2016 CZ31, with an estimated diameter of 140 – 320m, according to CNEOS. It will also be moving slower, reaching speeds of about 21,100 km/h.
