NASA reported a largest asteroid would safely pass Earth on 1st September at an unusually close distance of 7 million kilometers.
This particular asteroid was discovered in 1981 and named Florence after Florence Nightingale, the 19th century founder of modern nursing.
A statement released by the U.S., Space Agency read, “Florence is the largest asteroid to pass this close to our planet since the first near Earth asteroid was discovered over a century ago.”
Florence is the biggest asteroid in Earth’s vicinity, measuring about 4.4 kms wide.
Manager for NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, Paul Chodas said, “While many known asteroids have passed by closer to Earth than Florence will on 1 September, all of those were estimated to be smaller.”
The scientists from NASA are going to make good use of the asteroid passing close to earth by studying it using a radar imaging in California and Puerto Rico.
NASA’s report also said, “The resulting radar images will show the real size of Florence and also could reveal surface details as small as about 30 feet (10 meters.)”
Asteroids are natural rocky bodies that circle the Sun and large asteroids hitting earth are very unlikely. Small asteroids hit Earth’s atmosphere at least once a year but burn away before even reaching the surface.
