DUSHANBE, 24.08.2020. (NIAT Khovar) – The new asteroid named 2018 VP1 and discovered in 2018 in the United States as part of an automated observational program to search for new near-Earth asteroids, according to astronomers’ calculations, will come closer to Earth on November 2 at 11:33 UT, at 16:33 in Tajikistan. This information was provided by the director of Astrophysics Institute of the Tajik National Academy of Sciences Gulchehra Kohirova.

According to her, the asteroid will fly at a distance of just over 400,000 km from Earth. This distance is comparable to the distance between the Earth and the Moon. The size of the asteroid is estimated at 2-3 meters, so its possible entrance of the Earth’s atmosphere will not lead to catastrophic consequences.

“Although the asteroid’s orbit crosses the Earth’s orbit, due to its small size, the asteroid was not classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, but was classified as a near-Earth asteroid. The probability of the asteroid entering the Earth’s atmosphere is only 0.4%,” commented Kohirova.

She noted that on the same day, but ten hours after approaching the Earth, the asteroid will approach the Moon at the same distance as the Earth. But, according to astronomers’ calculations, this object will not come close to Earth again until 2200.