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Associated Press

An asteroid the size of a school bus is headed our way, but Nasa says the space rock will zoom safely past Earth on Thursday.
The newly discovered asteroid will come within 22,000 kilometres (13,000 miles) of Earth, well below many of the communications satellites orbiting the planet, scientists said this week.
The closest approach will occur on Thursday morning over the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
Once it is gone, the asteroid will not be back to Earth’s neighbourhood until 2041.

Scientists estimate the asteroid is between 4.5 metres to 9 metres (15 feet to 30 feet) wide. By asteroid standards, that is considered puny.
Asteroids of this size hit Earth’s atmosphere and burn up once every year or two, said Paul Chodas, director of the Centre for Near Earth Object Studies at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
There could be as many as 100 million of these little asteroids out there.
European space agency joins Nasa for asteroid defence mission
The real threats are the considerably bigger asteroids. The good news is that asteroids are easier to spot much sooner than just a few days out.
Asteroid 2020 SW, as it is known, was discovered on September 18 by the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona in Tucson.


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Space

Asteroid the size of bus to zoom past Earth, ducking below satellites, Nasa says

Small asteroids hit Earth’s atmosphere and burn up once every year or two. Image: AP

This image from video made available by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies shows the path of asteroid 2020 SW as it safely passes Earth on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. Orbiting the Earth is the location of a typical geosynchronous satellite (labeled "GEOSAT"), orbiting 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth's equator. At bottom right is the moon. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)

Nasa chief warns US Congress about Chinese space station

A radar image of China’s Tiangong-1 space station, which ceased operation in 2018. Beijing has announced plans for a permanent space station by 2022. Image: Fraunhofer Institute FHR via AP

FILE - In this June 18, 2012, file image released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese astronauts, from left, Liu Wang, Liu Yang and Jing Haipeng wave while aboard the orbiting Tiangong-1 space station. China's defunct and believed out-of-control Tiangong 1 space station is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere sometime in the coming days, although the risk to people and property on the ground is considered low. (Beijing Aerospace Control Center/Xinhua via AP)

ISS moves to dodge space debris that passed within a mile

Running into orbital debris, or space junk, of even a few centimetres in diameter is potentially catastrophic to the International Space Station. File photo: Nasa

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An artist’s illustration depicts Artemis astronauts on the moon. Image: Nasa handout via AP

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Closest approach will occur on Thursday morning over the southeastern Pacific Ocean
Scientists estimate asteroids of this ‘puny’ size hit Earth’s atmosphere and burn up once every year or two



Newly discovered space rock will pass within 22,000km of planet, ducking below satellites.


Technology