They are “potentially dangerous” objects, according to official parameters.
NASA assured that two asteroids will pass close to Earth in May. They are classified as “potentially dangerous” objects due to their proximity to the planet, although for now, they are not in real danger.
Asteroid 438908 (2009 XO) has a diameter of between 210 and 470 meters and is what triggered the alert in the aerospace body. It is that it will pass a “short” distance from Earth. They will be 3.39 million km apart, almost nine times the separation between Earth and the Moon but enough to qualify as “potentially dangerous”.
It travels at a speed of almost 13 kilometers per second and it is expected that on May 7 it will reach the closest point with respect to the planet.
Meanwhile, on May 21, asteroid 136795 (1997 BQ) will approach. Its diameter is between 670 meters and 1.5 kilometers, according to NASA calculations.
It moves at 11.68 kilometers per second and its point of closest proximity to Earth will be more than 6.15 million kilometers, also within the parameters of potential danger (0.05 astronomical units, in addition to an astronomical magnitude of 22 or less).
Both asteroids belong to the Apollo class, the largest near-Earth object.
Meanwhile, the giant asteroid 52768 (1998 OR2), which is 4.1 kilometers in size, is expected to pass 6.29 million km this Wednesday.
