A huge asteroid is approaching Earth: how long the celestial object is. Map

On January 20, an asteroid called 2025 AY2 will approach our planet. It will pass at a distance of 4,220,000 miles (approximately 6,790,000 kilometers) from Earth.

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the asteroid's diameter is approximately 71.3 meters. 2025 AY2 belongs to the category of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that cross the Earth's orbit.

For comparison, the average distance between our planet and the moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers). Therefore, although 2025 AY2 is classified as a near-Earth object, its flyby will not pose a threat to humans.

Scientists consider asteroids larger than 150 meters and approaching us at a distance closer than 7,500,000 kilometers to be "potentially hazardous objects."

Near-Earth asteroids are generally categorized into four groups: Atira, Athos, Apollo, and Amor. 2025 AY2 is classified as an Athos asteroid.

As of 2024, 2062 Athos asteroids have been identified, 191 of which are considered "potentially hazardous."

As OBOZ.UA wrote, on January 12, the large asteroid 887 Alinda, which is more than 4 kilometers wide, came as close as possible to the Earth. Such close contact was the first in the last 100 years. On that day, the space object could be seen with binoculars or a small telescope.

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