Asteroid 2023 HV5 to come as close to Earth as the Moon! NASA issues alert

Whenever an asteroid’s orbit brings it near a planet, the planet’s gravitational pull can sometimes force it to go astray. When these space rocks come near Earth for close approach, most of them burn up in the atmosphere itself without causing any harm to the planet. However due to the potential risk, it is extremely important to observe and track these distant objects in the sky, for which NASA, ESA and other space agencies have already set up institutions.

Through these space monitoring platforms, a warning has been issued against an asteroid that is expected to make its closest approach to Earth soon.

Asteroid 2023 HV5

The asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 HV5, will make its closest approach to Earth tomorrow, May 3, at a distance of just 435,000 kilometers, which is just further away from the Moon! For reference, the Moon is 384,000 kilometers away from Earth, and Asteroid 2023 HV5 will pass by Earth at a similar distance.

The asteroid, which is nearly the size of a bus with a width of 41 feet, is speeding towards Earth at 32152 kilometers per hour.

This space rock belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. They are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Although this asteroid is not expected to collide with Earth anytime soon, a slight deviation in its trajectory due to the Earth’s gravitational pull can send the asteroid hurtling towards Earth for an impact.

How are Asteroids named?

According to ESA, the process of assigning a provisional designation to an asteroid begins when a single observer detects it on two consecutive nights and then sends their findings to the Minor Planet Centre of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The IAU assigns a provisional designation, which typically consists of a serial number like “2023 HV5”. The provisional designation includes the year of the asteroid’s discovery, followed by two letters that indicate the order of its discovery during that year.