According to NASA, the asteroid, dubbed “2008Go20,” is hurtling towards Earth at 18,000 mph. Nonetheless, the agency claims there is no cause for concern.
2008Go20, which has a diameter of about 220 meters, will be 0.04 au (astronomical units) away from Earth — a distance of 3,718,232 miles, according to NASA calculations. In comparison, the moon is approximately 238,606 miles away from Earth.
However, given the asteroid’s orbit will travel relatively close to Earth, NASA has classified it as Apollo, a category reserved for the most threatening asteroids. NASA is keeping a close eye on the asteroid.
Asteroids are tiny, stony objects that remained after the solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago. They orbit the sun and spend the majority of their time in the asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are made up of various types of rocks, and no two are same.
Source: FOX4
