Asteroids often pass by the Earth yearly. Many of these asteroids won't be a danger to the Earth. There are some though that can pass dangerously close to it. Killer asteroid 2016 VA narrowly passes the Earth, which shows just how vulnerable the planet is.
Asteroid 2016 VA is a newly discovered asteroid. Previously it has not been noticed before, until it has been well on its way here. The Mount Lemmon Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona made the discovery.
Asteroid 2016 VA passed as close as 93,700 kilometers of the Earth. Its closeness means that it is about 20 percent of the distance from the Earth to the Moon. That is also quite near the many satellites orbiting the Earth, its distance only twice as far as the most remote Earth satellites. The Earth's gravity has pulled the asteroid close that its future trajectory might have been altered.
2016 VA has passed through the Earth's shadow. According to Phys Org, this discovery was announced by the Minor Planet Center. Astronomer Gianluca Masi took the opportunity to observe its closest passing through the Virtual Telescope Project. The image that was taken of it was a 60-second exposure, he said.
Asteroid 2016 VA is moving so fast that capturing it would have to be timed precisely. It is also fairly large at 16 to 19 meters in size, which would be enough danger to a community should it fall into the Earth. As it crossed the Earth's shadow, it briefly experienced an eclipse. A solar eclipse would be seen if someone would be on the asteroid, as Universe Today notes.
Asteroids will wander near the Earth constantly, as the Asteroid Belt is just beyond Mars. Jupiter's gravity can knock some of those asteroids out of the Asteroid Belt. So far 15,000 of those asteroids and other near-Earth objects (NEOs) have been found. Scientists speculate more of them are out there.
The video capture of an asteroid crossing the Earth's shadow is a first, and possibly not the last. With more asteroids out there, a few of those could still stay near the Earth. Killer asteroid 2016 VA narrowly passes the Earth, and expect that more like it would come.
