Yes, an asteroid arrives on Earth just before election day

Popular mechanics

• A car-sized asteroid called 2018 VP1 will pass Earth on November 2, the day before Election Day 2020.

• Fortunately, 2018 VP1 has a 0.41% chance of entering Earth’s atmosphere. He would probably burn anyway.

• Researchers discovered the asteroid in 2018 using telescopes at the Zwicky Transitional Facility in California.

An asteroid called 2018 VP1 is expected to fly over Earth on November 2, just a day before Americans vote for the next president of the United States. The timing of the asteroid gives new meaning to the phrase “Rock the Vote”.

But if the images of a huge space boulder crashing into Earth send chills to you, take a deep breath.

“Asteroid 2018VP1 is very small, around 6.5 feet, and poses no threat to Earth!” NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office tweeted August 23. “He currently has a 0.41 [percent] chance to enter our planet’s atmosphere, but if it did, it would disintegrate due to its extremely small size. “

? You like badass space stuff. U.S. too. Together, let’s move on to the universe.

Sky scanning researchers discovered the 2018 VP1 at the Zwicky Transitional Facility at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in 2018. Due to its small size, scientists had difficulty tracking the object and plotting its path.

NASA established its near-Earth object observation program in 1998 and has since discovered approximately 19,000 near-Earth objects. In 2005, Congress asked the agency to find 90% of all near-Earth asteroids around 460 feet or more. These rocky bodies are large enough to, at the very least, cause regional damage to the planet and destabilize the global atmosphere and impact agricultural production.

In the NEO category, NASA also tracks potentially dangerous objects. These asteroids – like Bennu, the asteroid at the center of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission – are between 100 and 160 feet wide and are expected to be within 3 million miles of Earth. Fortunately, none of these asteroids are scheduled to “visit” anytime soon.

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The closest ever-recorded approach by an asteroid was last week, August 16, when 2020 HQ flew 1,830 miles above the Earth’s surface. Zwicky scientists spotted the SUV-sized asteroid about 6 hours after the close-call as it pulled away from Earth. If 2020 HQ had deviated into Earth’s atmosphere, however, it would have burned down.

So there you have it: 2018 VP1 will not destroy our planet until Election Day, although that would certainly be appropriate. You will still be able to exercise your civic duty on November 3.

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