The asteroid that once passed NASA is about to return

Asteroids that once surpassed the view of American cosmologists will fly over Earth in October.

Astronomers say the 2012 TC4 asteroid is likely to reach Earth on October 12 at a distance of 270,000km, Gizmodo reported on August 3.

Compare 2012 TC4 size and Statue of Liberty.(Photo: Cosmos News).

2012 TC4 is about 40m in size, was first discovered on October 5, 2012 and disappeared without trace from scientists at NASA soon after. In the previous observation, 2012 TC4 approached the Earth by 1/4 of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.

Scientists believe that the return of 2012 TC4 does not threaten the Earth and is a research opportunity for NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) and scientists around the world to test the system. system to protect the Earth .

"This experiment will involve more than 10 observatories, universities and laboratories across the planet so we know the ability and limit of observing objects approaching the Earth , " said Professor Vishnu. Reddy at Arizona University, USA, said. PDCO has the task of detecting, identifying the asteroid's orbit and offering a solution to redirection if the Earth is threatened.

Asteroids approach the Earth.(Graphics: NASA).

According to Dr. Michael Kelly, astronaut at NASA's Planetary Science Department, small NASA tests take place very often and nothing to worry about in the next test. " We want to know whether our network and the coordination between countries and observatories can work when we need it , " Kelly said.

Thanks to the support of telescopes, scientists will make the most accurate prediction of the location and time of occurrence of 2012 TC4 when this object is close enough."We follow the process to do it in a real script , " Kelly said.

1. Asteroids are at risk of colliding with the Earth