Two asteroids over 100 meters in size fly past Earth

12/27/2021

NASA and ESA report 2 large chunks that are in briefly pass the earth.

This year there will be 2 more fly-bys of asteroids and both are of considerable size. On December 27th, an old friend drops in on Earth, 2018 AH .

It was discovered in 2018 and flew past the earth at a distance of only 297,000 kilometers . It was the next flyby of an asteroid of this size since 1971.

The NASA estimates its diameter at 84 to 190 meters , the ESA calculates with 110 meters . On December 27th, however, it will not fly as close to Earth as it did 3 years ago. With 4.3 million kilometers it is impossible that it will hit the earth.

2017 AE3 is 150 meters tall

The last one will follow on December 29th Asteroid of the year, if a previously undiscovered asteroid does not appear. 2017 AE3 is set by NASA to 120 to 260 Meters estimated, the ESA has a diameter of 150 meters calculated.

With 3.76 million kilometers he comes a little closer to the earth than 2018 AH. He is also faster with 19.2 kilometers per second (69,120 km / h). 2018 AH flies at 12.7 km / s through space.

Impact with the power of a thermonuclear bomb

Also for 2017 AE3 will be an impact on earth locked out. Should it happen anyway, the impact would have catastrophic consequences.

2018 AH corresponds roughly to the size of the Tunguska asteroid , which hit Earth on June 30, 1908. The impact fell over 80 million trees in an area of ​​2,150 square kilometers.

The force of this explosion was 12 megatons calculated. That is more destructive than a two-stage thermonuclear bomb has. The most powerful atomic bomb ever developed by the USA has a power of 25 megatons .