 |
| Asteroid or space rock is heading to Earth [Photo illustration] (digitaltrends.com) |
As expected, an asteroid the size of nine times the size of the cruise ships will approach the Earth. Asteroid named 1998 QE2 will reach the closest distance to Earth on May 31, 2013.
Based on the count of United States Space Agency (NASA), the closest distance to Earth asteroid 1998 QE2 approximately 5.8 million kilometers, or the equivalent of 15 times the distance between Earth and the moon, quoted by Space Daily, May 17, 2013.
But, it's a giant asteroid is not harmful to the Earth, scientists and astronomers already tell. Currently, scientists and astronomers are very interested in studying the character of asteroid 1998 QE2.
According to Lance Benner, the principal investigator of the Goldstone radar NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA, asteroid 1998 QE2 has been the main target of the observations made by the Goldstone radar.
"We hope to get a series of high-resolution images that can reveal details of the surface shape," said Benner.
Every time there is an asteroid approaching Earth, according to him, is a good time to learn it, such as a detailed understanding of the size, surface shape, rotation, and more.
"The data will result in the origin of an asteroid, and its orbital velocity," said Benner.
Trajectory of asteroid 1998 QE2. The closest distance occurs on May 31, 2013. (Space Daily)
Asteroid 1998 QE2 was first discovered on August 19, 1998 by The Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) carried Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
This is not playing magnitude asteroid, estimated to have an area of about 2.7 kilometers. Especially when compared asteroid 2012 DA14 is also briefly crosses Earth late January.
To determine how the shape of Asteroid 1998 QE2, NASA plans to broadcast live radar observations of the Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone and Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico on May 30 through June 9, 2013.
Source: teknologi.news.viva.co.id
0 comments:
Post a Comment