New Delhi | Jagran Trending Desk: Two massive asteroids, with estimated diameters between 19 and 49 metres, are approaching towards the Earth and will pass by the planet on Tuesday, September 1.

While both of them are considered large, one of them will be 1.2 lakh km away when passing by the Earth. This means that the asteroid will be closer to the Earth than the Moon, which is 3.84 lakh km away.

Both asteroids – 2011 ES4 and 2020 QG5 – are classified as near-Earth objects but are not expected to pose any threat to the planet.

US space agency NASA has ruled out a possible threat from Asteroid 2011 ES4, saying it will not hit the Earth. “Will #asteroid 2011 ES4 hit Earth? No! 2011 ES4’s close approach is ‘close’ on an astronomical scale but poses no danger of actually hitting Earth,” the agency tweeted.

“#PlanetaryDefense experts expect it to safely pass by at least 45,000 miles (792,000 football fields) away on Tuesday, Sept. 1,” it added.

Asteroid 2011 ES4

NASA has estimated the relative speed of the ‘potentially hazardous asteroid’ at around 8.16 lakh km, reported Xinhua. First discovered in 2011, this asteroid passes by the Earth every nine years.

The last time 2011 ES4 flew by Earth, it was visible from the planet for four days. This time, it will be closer to the planet than before.

According to reports, even if the asteroid gets on the impact trajectory, it will be destroyed before touching the surface.

“Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth. Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or less are considered PHAs,” NASA had said earlier this year.

Asteroid 2020 QG5

This asteroid, which will fly by Earth at around 5:30 TDB on September 1, is smaller than 2011 ES4 and is approaching our planet after 16 years.

On its closest approach, 2020 QG5 will be more than 29 lakh kilometre away from the Earth and is not expected to pose any threat to Earth. Currently, it is in the constellation of Pegasus.

Posted By: Abhinav Gupta