Disaster .. a giant asteroid is approaching the globe

NASA is closely monitoring a giant asteroid heading towards our planet, and it is making a close approach today (Friday, January 10). The US space agency described asteroid 2019 UO as a "Near-Earth Object" (NEO).

Scientists are tracking tens of thousands of near-Earth objects to ensure that they do not collide with our planet, as one small change in their paths could lead to disaster on Earth.

The asteroid is about 550 meters long, and is moving at a speed of more than 21 miles per hour. It is expected to pass Earth at 23:50 GMT on January 10.

Fortunately, NASA believes that the space rock will pass near Earth at a relatively safe distance of 2.8 million miles. According to the space agency, any object that passes within 120 million miles of Earth is considered close to us.

Scientists worry

It is reported that the space agency had warned that its NEO catalog is incomplete, which means that an unexpected effect may occur at any time, which worries many scientists and experts around the world.

She also noted that "experts estimate that the impact of an object the size of the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 - which was 55 feet (17 meters) in size - occurs once or twice a century, and impacts of larger organisms are expected to be less frequent on a centuries-wide scale. For thousands of years, however, given the current shortage of NEO’s catalog, an unexpected impact — such as the Chelyabinsk event — could happen at any time.”

The director of the agency's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, Paul Chodas, told Newsweek that the passage of asteroids near Earth is something that occurs over thousands of years, noting that "it is wise that humans continue to track them for decades, and study how their orbits can evolve. The asteroid will pass near Earth, at a speed of about 44 km per hour.

He also explained that although the "giant rock" would be astronomically close to Earth, it would still be far enough away that we shouldn't worry.