Thursday 25 July 2013

Astroid 2006 BL8 to pass the Earth at 502 000 km.

On Friday 26 July 2013, at 2.35 am GMT, the asteroid 2006 BL8 will pass the Earth at a distance of 503 000 km, roughly 9.3 time the average distance between the Earth and the Moon. There is no danger of the asteroid hitting the Earth, and even if it did, since it is only 48 m across, it is unlikely that much of it would make it through the atmosphere. 

The orbit's of 2006 BL8 and the inner four planets of the Solar System. Image created using the JPL Small Body Database Browser.

2006 BL8 (the name means the 211th object discovered in the second half of January 2006) is an Apollo Group Asteroid (i.e. one who's orbit crosses that of the Earth) with an orbital period of 434 days, which takes it out from the Sunas far as the orbit of Mars and in nearly to the orbit of Venus, though it is unlikely to interact with either of those planets, as its orbit is oblique to the plain of the Solar System, so that it is above that plain when near to the orbit of Venus and bellow that plain when near the orbit of Mars.

The orbit of 2006 BL8 relative to the plain of the Solar System. Image created using the JPL Small Body Database Browser.


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