Tonight, an asteroid classified as “potentially dangerous” It will come within about 6.6 million kilometers of Earth, making it one of the largest space rocks to come this close to our planet in 125 years.
Is about 2011 UL21 and is the size of Mount Everest, making it one of the potentially more dangerous asteroids and that is why it is known as a “planet killer”. It will pass at a speed of 93,000 kilometers per hour and, despite its enormous size, this space rock does not pose a threat to Earthneither now nor in the future.
2011 UL21 orbits our star once every three years. “This asteroid is between 1.7 and 3.9 kilometers wide, which means that is larger than 99% of all objects known close to Earth”, explained from the European Space Agency (ESA) in a statement. “However, it will not come as close to Earth. At its closest point, on June 27, it will still be more than 17 times farther than the Moon,” they added.
The next time 2011 UL21 is expected to roam the Earth again It will be in the year 2089, where it will be 2.7 million kilometers from the planet. Still, there is zero chance of any known planet-killing asteroid hitting Earth for at least the next 1,000 years.
How to see it
For anyone who wants to follow this great rock live, you can do so by clicking here. The broadcast will be carried out from the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Ceccano, Italy. This will start at 10:00 p.m. peninsular time and the closest approach is scheduled to occur 15 minutes later.
