An asteroid nearly the size of a bus is expected to pass Earth on August 9. Although the asteroid is not on a collision course with Earth, it will pass so close to Earth that it has caught the attention of NASA. Read on to find out more. NASA astronomers are checking all near-Earth objects (NEOs) for any potential danger to Earth and this also includes asteroids, . The asteroid, named Asteroid 2022 OC4, was discovered just a month ago and is already on its way to Earth. If all goes according to NASA’s calculations, the asteroid will pass Earth at a distance of only 1.5 million kilometers. NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office monitors the sky with telescopes and tracks incoming near-Earth object (NEO) flybys. With the help of advanced telescopes, more than 750,000 asteroids have been discovered to date, of which 27,000 are near-Earth asteroids. This asteroid is expected to be about the size of a bus. It is confirmed to belong to the group of Apollo asteroids which are near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) with perihelion distances less than 1,017 AU, and semimajor axis greater than 1 AU. This is not the first time an asteroid has passed close to Earth this year. On May 9, asteroid 467460 (2006 JF42) flew close to Earth. Just a few days ago, an asteroid named Asteroid 2022 OX3 passed Earth at close range at 6:45 p.m. on August 2. Most recently, the asteroid named Asteroid 2022 OE5 flew close to Earth in the early morning hours of August 5. Another asteroid nearly the same size just passed Earth on August 7. Recent months have seen a sudden increase in the frequency of asteroid flybys. However, people will be relieved to know that none of them will be potentially “world-ending” asteroids. In fact, such an asteroid is not expected for at least a century or more. “A 2068 impact is no longer in the realm of possibility, and our calculations show no risk of an impact for at least the next 100 years,” says Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies.
