An aeroplane-sized asteroid is approaching Earth on Thursday, September 15, 2022. The asteroid, called 2020 PT4, has a diameter of 37 metres. It will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 71,90,000 kilometres on Thursday, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Asteroid 2020 PT4 is moving at a velocity of 10.85 kilometres per second, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). Due to the distance at which the asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth, and its size, it has been classified a ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroid’.
All About Asteroid 2020 PT4
The asteroid has an orbital period of 734 days or two years, which means it takes 734 days to orbit its host star.
It is an Apollo-class asteroid, a term used for an object whose orbit crosses that of Earth. The last time asteroid 2020 PT4 made a close approach to Earth was on September 8, 2020. The asteroid will make its next approach to Earth on September 28, 2024.
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Other asteroids which will make a close approach to Earth in September 2022 include 2022 QD1, 2005 RX3, and 2022 QB37.
Asteroid 2022 QD1 is an aeroplane-sized asteroid that will make a close approach to Earth on September 16.
As many as two asteroids will be making a close approach to Earth on September 18. These are 2005 RX3, a building-sized asteroid, and 2022 QB37, an aeroplane-sized asteroid.
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An asteroid is said to make a close approach to Earth when it comes near our planet within 7.5 million kilometres, or 19.5 times the distance to the Moon. Asteroids larger than 150 metres and approaching Earth within this distance are termed potentially hazardous objects.