The POT has announced that An asteroid called 2021 JA5 will approach Earth this Wednesday, September 6. This asteroid, with a estimated diameter up to 31 metersis considered relatively large and has generated interest in the scientific community and the general public due to its proximity to our planet.
To provide a visual perspective on the size of the asteroid, an interesting analogy is used: its diameter is compared to that of an average English bulldogas explained in the report of The Jerusalem Post.
According to the American Kennel Club, an average English bulldog is up to 15 inches tall, which is about 15 inches. Therefore, Asteroid 2021 JA5 is estimated to have a diameter of around 31 meters, which is equivalent to about 81 bulldogs in size terms..
Is it a threat to Earth?
Despite initial concerns that could arise due to the proximity of a space object of this sizeit is important to note that this asteroid will not pose a threat to Earth. It will pass at a safe distance, more than 5 million kilometers from our planet.
This is not the only asteroid that has come close to Earth recently. Other asteroids have also passed close to our planet in recent times, but none of them have presented a real danger. Scientists and experts are constantly working on defense methods to deflect asteroids that may pose a threat in the future.
These events provide opportunities to better study and understand asteroids and their behavior in space, as well as to improve our near-Earth object detection and tracking capabilities. Safety and scientific research are the main concerns in the study of asteroids of this type.