Asteroid 2020 HL6 Is Expected To Fly Past Earth On May 6, 2020
Asteroid 2020 HL6 Is Expected To Fly Past Earth On May 6, 2020
(2020 HL6) 2020-May-06 17:38 00:01 2.08 | 0.00535 2.08 | 0.00535 5.38 5.29 28.0 6.7 m - 15 m
An asteroid almost as big as a standard passenger bus is expected to fly past Earth on Wednesday (May 6). According to the data collected by NASA, the approaching asteroid follows a natural orbit that crosses Earth’s path.
NASA is currently tracking the incoming asteroid through its Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. As indicated in database, the approaching asteroid is known as 2020 HL6.
CNEOS estimated that the incoming asteroid has an estimated diameter of about 49 feet. It is currently traveling across the Solar System towards Earth at a speed of about 12,000 miles per hour.
2020 HL6 was first observed on April 19. After analyzing its trajectory, NASA classified 2020 HL6 as an Apollo asteroid. This means that the asteroid follows a very wide orbit within the Solar System. From time to time, it intersects Earth’s path as the planet completes its cycle around the Sun.
Aside from Earth, the asteroid is also known to closely approach Mars.
The last time that 2020 HL6 approached Earth was on Jan. 30, 2017. During this time, the asteroid flew past the planet from a distance of 0.49613 astronomical units, which is equivalent to 46 million miles away.
Source: JPL NASA
Audio: Neptune
