14 DAY TRIAL // This past Sunday, Earth received a visitor from outer space. Thus, on June 8, an asteroid known as the Beast came surprisingly close to our planet, smiled and waved, and then continued its journey through the universe.
Media reports say that the asteroid measures somewhere between 800 and 1,300 feet (about 243 and 396 meters) across. So, yes, it's a pretty impressive rock, way bigger that the ones celebs wear around their necks or impale their earlobes in while on the red carpet.
The space rock, whose official name is 2014 HQ124, was discovered earlier this year, in April. For the time being, specialists are unable to offer precise information concerning its makeup. Still, they say that the space rock is surprisingly reflective.
“It's likely that this object is rocky, rather than the dark, carbonaceous class of asteroids that are covered with extremely dark material. It's also possible it's a metallic asteroid,” specialist Amy Mainzer says in a statement.
“The reflectivity gives a clue as to what it's made of, although it's far from a foolproof diagnostic,” the NEOWISE mission researcher further tells the press in a recent interview.
According to the Los Angeles Times, this asteroid is completely unfamiliar with the concept of personal space. Hence the fact that, on June 8, it came within 770,000 miles (some 1,239,194 kilometers) of our good old Earth.
These 770,000 miles might be the equivalent of three times the distance between our planet and its moon, but astronomers maintain that, all things considered, this past weekend's visit was a very close call nonetheless.
They explain that, according to their calculations, this was the closest that this space rock has until now come to our planet. Apparently, this is the reason why, prior to its visit, the Beast was labeled a “potentially hazardous asteroid.”
Talking to the press, Don Yeomans with NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office explains that, as hazardous as this asteroid might appear to be, there is no way that it will collide with our planet, at least not until 2200. This is because that is as far as specialists have managed to calculate its orbit.
So, now you know: if you don't want to be around the moment our planet might have one very close encounter with the beast, all you have to do is make sure you don't live past the year 2200. Truth be told, that is one achievement that should not be very difficult to unlock.