Three giant asteroids are set to fly over Earth at the closest distance into orbit next week, according to NASA’s tracking system.
The largest asteroid in the group may be as long as the Eiffel Tower, but all three will pass through our planet at a safe distance, several times the distance between Earth and the Moon. Several similar asteroids orbit the Sun and sometimes closer to Earth than other celestial bodies. The three asteroids are respectively named 2021 GJ3, 2016 QE45 and 2021 FK3.
2021 GJ3 will fly over Earth at 9:26 a.m. on April 21, Hanoi time. At the closest distance, it will be 1,475,768 km from the planet. The diameter of the 2021 GJ3 is approximately 46.9 to 110 m, as wide as the football field.
With a diameter of 120 to 270 m, the 2016 QE45 will cross the Earth at 8:48 a.m. on April 24, Hanoi time, at a distance of 5,069,000 km. Its size is equivalent to the height of the Eiffel Tower.
2021 FK3 will approach Earth at 12:45 a.m. on April 25 in Hanoi, a distance of 6,045,250 km. This asteroid has a diameter of 88 to 200 m, as large as the Golden Gate Bridge.
As expected, all three asteroids fly at a speed of at least 13.4 km / s, 14 times faster than rifle bullets. On April 12, asteroid GW4 2021 passed Earth much closer than the three above. However, its diameter is only about 3.4-7.6m. Due to their high speed, even small asteroids can generate a huge impact when they fly through the atmosphere or crash into the Earth’s surface.
