An asteroid the size of an airplane will pass by Earth this week traveling over 6 miles a second, as it passes close to Earth's orbit.
still keeps track of it due to its size and speed. It’s expected to speed past the Earth at around six miles per second on September 15.The asteroid in question is Asteroid 2020 PT4. The asteroid completes its orbit every 734 days, according to, and is considered an apollo-class asteroid, which means its orbit crosses the same path as our planet. It made a close approach in 2020, and the asteroid will pass by Earth again in 2024.
When this asteroid passes by Earth on September 15, it will speed past at around six miles per second or around 24,233 miles per hour. It will pass close to around 4,411,735 miles out from the Earth, around 19 times the distance between our planet and the Moon. While it might not seem close, a slight deviation in the asteroid’s path could send it closer to our planet.
Despite being so small – we’ve seen much bigger asteroids pass by Earth – Asteroid 2020 PT4 is still considered dangerous. That’s why NASA and other space agencies are working on
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