An asteroid was discovered hours before it approached Earth in 2021

Small asteroid, you selected NASA How do 2021 RS2It became the closest part of Earth to Earth in 2021, just hours after its location was determined by the US space agency’s systems.

According to the Center for Small Near-Earth Objects (CNEOS), which constantly monitors asteroids and other space debris, 2021 RS2 approached its maximum on September 7, at 04:28 (GMT).

The distance was really short in astronomical terms: the asteroid was 15,340 kilometers from the Earth’s surface, slightly larger than the diameter of the planet.

However, the 2021 RS2 is a small part, only 3.5 meters in diameter. According to researcher Eddie Irisari, who collaborated with the state analysis of the specialized website “EarthSky”, it is likely that the asteroid will disintegrate as soon as it reaches the Earth’s atmosphere.

This moment can cause at least some visual spectacle.

According to Irizarry, such asteroids are difficult to detect in advance, but in general they all end up being identified through high-tech monitoring by NASA and other space agencies.