The asteroid "2019 OK" misses the Earth, rare – knowledge

• The asteroid "2019 OK" narrowly missed Earth on Thursday.
• It is only recently that the object has been discovered by a Brazilian telescope.

An asteroid flew near the Earth on Thursday. The block of about 100 meters called "2019 OK" missed the planet, according to the European Space Agency Esa, about 71,000 kilometers away. It's less than a fifth of the distance between the Earth and the Moon and a nuisance for astronomical conditions.

Near the fastball 88,000 kilometers at the hour would have gone unnoticed. Just about a day before flying over, the Brazilian Sonar Observatory had discovered the asteroid. "The lack of warning shows the speed with which potentially dangerous asteroids can sneak," writes Australian astronomer Michael Brown in a blog post. Due to the short duration of observation, there are only few reliable data on "2019 OK". NASA estimates its diameter between 57 and 130 meters. It is the largest asteroid among those who came closer to Earth than the Moon this year.

In ten years, a 400-meter asteroid will get even closer to Earth

The meteor, which exploded in flight over Chelyabinsk Russia in 2013, deployed the explosive power of 30 Hiroshima nuclear bombs of a diameter of about 20 meters. If "2019 OK" hit Earth, it could have wreaked havoc, but it would not have been a global threat yet. The asteroid, involved in the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, measured about 16 kilometers.

"2019 OK" is one of the Near Earth Objects (NEO). These sometimes cross the Earth's orbit as they move around the sun. 866 NEOs are currently managing ESA on a list of risks – they could one day hit the earth with some probability. "2019 OK" does not represent any danger for the foreseeable future. One of the most difficult maneuvers of the next period is expected to be in 2029. Then Apophis, 400 meters wide – by the way, a Friday 13 – at a distance of 30,000 kilometers to fly over the Earth.