How astronomers missed the massive asteroid that just whizzed past Earth
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station was able to capture this eerie shot of clouds.
A large asteroid just whizzed past our planet — and astronomers weren't expecting it.
Ranging in size from 187 to 427 feet (57 to 130 meters) wide, the space rock named 2019 OK snuck up on us Thursday morning (July 25). It swung as close as 45,000 miles (73,000 kilometers) from Earth, what one astronomer told The Washington Post was "uncomfortably close.".
If the asteroid had actually collided with Earth, the crash would have caused devastating damage, Michael Brown, an associate professor in astronomy at Monash University in Australia, wrote in The Conversation.
An artist's concept of an asteroid approaching Earth. Credit: Erik Simonsen via Photographer's Choice/Getty Images Plus
Astronomers in Brazil and the United States separately discovered 2019 OK a couple of days ago, but it's surprise visit was only announced a couple of hours before it passed by. "The lack of warning shows how quickly potentially dangerous asteroids can sneak up on us," Brown wrote. And though this asteroid "is not a threat to Earth right now," other such near-Earth asteroids can be.
For example, back in 2013, a meteor snuck up on us and exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk; that blast was stronger than a nuclear explosion, and the resulting shock wave shattered glass down below and injured more than 1,000 people. The Chelyabinsk meteor was much smaller than 2019 OK, spanning about 66 feet (20 meters) across.
Both the Chelyabinsk meteor and 2019 OK snuck past astronomers' devices and paid surprise visits.
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