It flew at over 34,000 miles an hour.
The asteroid was spotted for the first time only when it made its closest flyby at about 13,000 miles from the Earth. Communication satellites orbit our planet at greater distances of approximately 22,236 miles from the surface.Due to its proximity to the Earth, 2022 YO1 is classified as a Near Earth Object , and it could hit the Earth during one of its future orbits., on December 17, the asteroid flew at a relative velocity of 34,450 miles an hour as it zipped past the Earth.
Interestingly, the asteroid is the sixth closest space rock that astronomers have spotted this year alone. As a matter of fact, seven of the 50 closest space objects spotted so far have been observed in 2022. This demonstrates how our sky surveys are getting better. The asteroid isn't very large in size and is only 13 feet wide. Even if it were to race toward the Earth, it would likely burn up completely in the atmosphere, resulting in a fireball and never hitting the ground.Astronomers, however, scan the skies looking for giant asteroids with the potential to kill planets that might be headed our way.
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