Asteroid Set to Fly Past Earth Looks Like It 'Remembered to Wear a Mask,' Scientist Says

Scientists joked that the asteroid's appearance seemed to come at a timely moment amid the coronavirus pandemic

“The small-scale topographic features such as hills and ridges on one end of asteroid 1998 OR2 are fascinating scientifically,” Arecibo Observatory’s head of Planetary Radar, Anne Virkki,

According to the space agency, Asteroid 1998 OR2 is expected to pass by Earth at a distance of 3.9 million miles/6.2 million kilometers. Because of its safe distance, scientists have confirmed that this asteroid will not pose a threat to Earth, but will be useful for research purposes. “In 2079, asteroid 1998 OR2 will pass Earth about 3.5 times closer than it will this year, so it is important to know its orbit precisely,” Venditti continued.

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