Asteroid, as big as a bus, will fly very close to Earth tonight

NASA astronomers have spotted an asteroid, roughly the size of a bus, which will pass very close to the Earth on July 7.

As per reports, the Virtual Telescope Project will broadcast the movement of the asteroid 2022 NF from Rome, Italy. If weather conditions allow, you can watch the livestream starting at 2100 GMT, i.e. 2.30 am on Friday (July 8), by typing the Virtual Telescope Project on Google search.

Scientists said that 2022 NF will be within almost 25% of the distance to our moon i.e. about 56,000 miles (90,000 kilometers). While the trajectory is very close to the Earth, astronomers say that still the distance is safe.

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The celestial body has a dimension between 18 feet and 41 feet, about the size of a bus or a shipping container. Considering the size, the asteroid cannot be deemed a “potentially hazardous asteroid” (PHA), as per specifications of the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.

However, going by the closeness of the asteroid’s trajectory to the Earth’s surface (7.5 million km), it does qualify as a PHA. The size, however, is an estimate because generally asteroids are assessed by their brightness and an approximate size.

While it is being termed “potentially hazardous”, the asteroid is unlikely to hit the Earth. NASA continuously monitors the space for small and big bodies that fly close to the Earth but say that like 2022 NF is no threat by any standards.