A handful of cosmic objects sailing through the Solar System are constantly approaching us. Space agencies are responsible for staying informed about possible approaches, either to issue the relevant alerts in case there is a short proximity or to prepare for nighttime sightings. A never-before-seen asteroid was recently found that, according to its trajectory calculations, will safely cross the celestial vault and provide a nighttime spectacle.
The one that received the name 2022 NF, was discovered on July 4. According to it, it is the size of a school bus, since it exceeds seven meters in size, although it is believed that it can exceed 12 meters. Calculations by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory estimate that the object is approaching its closest position to Earth, once this happens it will be safely located just 89 thousand kilometers from the planet.
When to see the near-Earth asteroid
Dozens of near-Earth objects (NEOs) are discovered daily, therefore the situation is not unusual. But the asteroid 2022 NF is in the sights of lovers of astronomical observation because it will come much closer than the average NEOs, although it must be clarified that it will do so completely safely. This week alone we will have five asteroid approaches, the largest being 57 meters in size, but none of them exceed 100 thousand kilometers of proximity to our planet, except for 2022 NF.
It will reach its apogee on July 7, 2022, when it touches 89 thousand kilometers of proximity to planet Earth. It can be observed through a special broadcast of the Virtual Telescope Project through its official YouTube account in the box below.
In the special VTP transmission he through the starry sky. Or you can also follow the step on the official website of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, through its real-time simulator map of the movements of the stars in the Solar System.