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Just two weeks after the trio of asteroids sorted on our planet on November 10, one of them approaching closer to the moon than Inquisitr reported at the time – another rock in space must overtake the Earth this weekend.
Known as the 2009 WB105 asteroid, this space rock is considerably larger than the previous three and will pass in front of our planet on Sunday morning, making a close appearance around 7:14 am ET.
At the same time, the 2009 WB105 asteroid will fly over Earth much faster than its three predecessors, flying over space at a speed of about 42,240 miles at the hour, reports Asteroids Near Earth. It's almost twice as fast as the 2018 VS1 asteroid – the trio's fastest – who slid near our planet on November 10 at around 9:03 am ET.
While our last three visitors to space were relatively small space rocks – the largest of them measuring nearly 100 feet – asteroid 2009 The estimated diameter of the WB105 varies between 173.8 feet and 393.7. This means that this object could even be bigger than the Statue of Liberty, declares L & # 39; Express.
"An 393.7-foot-wide asteroid is about 1.25 times larger than the Big Ben clock tower in London and 1.29 times taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York."
NASA Asteroid WARNING: A 390-foot asteroid bigger than Big Ben on Earth approach Sunday – read more – https://t.co/4BR2BLHzcc
The asteroid, baptized Asteroid 2009 WB105, will approach the planet on November 25, at noon. NASA scientists … pic.twitter.com/qXLYgkkFTe
– NewsFlash – Fresh News (@NewsflashN) November 21, 2018
According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Center for Near-Earth Objects, the 2009 asteroid WB105 is classified as an asteroid close to the Earth on an approach path close to the Earth. Although the space rock is safe for our planet and safe to pass on November 25, it will still be close enough to the Earth for the space agency to monitor.
Its trajectory in our solar system will bring the 2009 asteroid WB105 to less than 3.61 million kilometers from our planet, or about 15 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. In fact, the space rock will fly over our planet at exactly 15.14 lunar distances (LD), notes the JPL.
This is not our first rodeo
Spotted for the first time in 2009, the 2009 WB105 asteroid has been circulating for a long time in our corner. Over the last 20 years, the space rock has made eight overflights of the Earth. The upcoming visit will be the ninth since 1998 – and the closest approach recorded so far.
The last time the asteroid was visited was on November 25, 2015, exactly three years ago. As the Minor Planet Center noted at the time, the asteroid was within 3.65 million miles of the Earth, or 15.31 lunar distances.
The 2009 asteroid WB105 was observed. Flyby November 25 at 18:02 UTC. Dist: 15.31 LD. Size: 38-120 m. https://t.co/Hn3JYwNZdc
– Minor Planet Center (@MinorPlanetCtr) November 25, 2015
The next flyby of the Earth by the asteroid is announced for November 25, 2021, when the 2009 WB105 will get even closer to our planet, slipping to 15.04 LD.
The closest approach to Earth by the space rock will take place in six years – November 25, 2024 – when the 2009 asteroid WB105 is to cross our planet at a distance of 3.59 million miles.
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