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Asteroid alert: 28-meter space rock to pass by Earth on November 12

9866112 / Pixabay

Asteroids pass by our planet on a regular basis with some that are bigger in size than others. Asteroid trackers have spotted one particular space rock that is set to approach Earth this week.

An asteroid referred to as 2020 VC1 is currently moving Earthbound at a speed of 6.1 kilometers per second or 21,960 kilometers per hour. VC1 is predicted to make an approach to Earth this week on November 12, Thursday. This asteroid is also relatively small, measuring 28 meters in diameter. This is equivalent to a little over twice the size of a double-decker bus. NASA has classified this rock as a Near-Earth Object or NEO rather than a Potentially Hazardous one.

By the time it approaches our home planet, it will only get as far as 4.3 lunar distances. This is equivalent to over 1.3 million miles away. This would still be extremely far for us but it is already noticeable for space agencies like NASA. Due to its size, it does not pose a threat as it is similar in size to the asteroid that hit the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia back in 2013. Asteroids that are classified as potentially hazardous can be able to cause damage on a global scale should there be a collision.

Fortunately, the chances of an actual collision happening in the near future are very minuscule.

Recently, residents in the northeast of the United States and southeastern Canada may have witnessed an asteroid pass over the skies Tuesday, November 10. The meteor or fireball had a bright, white, tail as it passed over the skies before fizzling out into the distance. The hundreds of people who were able to see this phenomenon reported their sighting at the International Meteor Organization.

One witness said that they initially thought it was some kind of firework, and described the fireball as green in color with a bright orange tail. Other witnesses shared how amazed they were in being able to see something like it in the skies. One other witness thought it was a missile at first until they realized it was a meteor.

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