On April 29, a huge asteroid will fly near the Earth. He will not hurt the planet

Researchers reported that asteroid 1998 OR2 is moving towards Earth and will fly close at the end of April.

distance from the planet. Its approach can be observed through a small telescope or online.

Scientists from NASA noted that on April 29, an asteroidwill fly 6.2 million km from the Earth - this is 16 times greater than the distance between the Moon and the Earth. “This is a safe distance for our planet and we did not mark it as a potentially dangerous celestial body,” the agency added.

NASA will launch mission to redirect asteroid

According to NASA estimates, the width of the asteroid is betweenfrom 1.8 to 4.1 km. This will allow you to see it even with the help of amateur telescopes, but now the asteroid is too dim to watch it without the help of professional equipment. The Virtual Telescope project, a remote observatory founded by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, allows you to observe a celestial body moving at a speed of 31 thousand km / h online.

According to EarthSky, the asteroid is expected to1998 OR2 will reach visual magnitude 10 or 11. This means that it will be visible in at least 6 or 8 inch telescopes, weather permitting.