Asteroid 2020 OY4 becomes 3rd closest to fly by Earth this year on July 28; Read details

With the naked-eye Comet NEOWISE flying by close to Earth for about a month, to many asteroids passing at great proximity, 2020, has been an unexpected year for astronomy so far. To add to the asteroid flyby counts is a newly-discovered asteroid which has been designated as 2020 OY4.

Asteroid 2020 OY4 has flown by Earth at 0.00028 AU, which was a little too close for comfort. In miles, the 2020 OY4, flew by at 26, 027 miles from Earth. As per NASA reports, the flyby occurred at 00:13 UTC on Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Read on to find out more about asteroid 2020 OY4 fly by.

Source: NASA 

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Asteroid 2020 OY4 was close to Earth

To put the above-mentioned facts into perspective, it is important to take a note of the fact that, 2020 OY4 is the 48th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of 2020, as mentioned in the reports of a science portal. NASA reports also suggest that it is the third closest asteroid flyby of the year. Reports on various science portals also suggest that 2020 OY4 is about the size of a car and has skipped Earth at a distance of just 41,500 km. 

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When and How was Asteroid 2020 OY4 spotted?

According to the reports of a space portal, Asteroid 2020 OY4 was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on July 26, 2020. This means that it was spotted when it had already come freakishly close to Earth. 2020 OY4 was seen at just two days ahead of its closest approach to Earth.

The NASA reports suggest that the space rock belonged to the Apollo group of asteroids, which means that it had an estimated diameter between 2.3 and 5.2 m, in feet it is approximately 7.5 - 17 feet. NASA Reports also claimed that the Near-Earth Object flew by us at a speed of 12.38 km/s relative to Earth on July 28.

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NASA reports have suggested that a football field-size asteroid collides with Earth once every 2,000 years, while a car-size asteroid hits earth on an average at least once a year. However, some of the bigger asteroids are present in the Asteroid Belt and can be as large as 583 miles across. According to the reports of a space portal, in 2013, a 20-metre meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. It smashed windows of many houses and ended up causing injuries to more than 1,000 people.

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