Asteroid 2019 AW2 flew past Earth at 0.42 lunar distances
A newly discovered asteroid designated 2019 AW2 flew past Earth at 0.42 LD / 0.00108 (161 565 km / 100 392 miles) on December 28, 2018. This is the second known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance on December 28, 2018, the 5th during the month of December and 76th in 2018.
This asteroid was first observed on January 3, 2019, at Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala. CNEOS made it known to the public on January 6.
2019 AW2 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 24 and 53 m (78 – 173 feet).
It flew past us at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 14.03 km/s at 12:25 UTC on December 28, just several hours after 2018 YO2.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Mission Design | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
References
Asteroid 2019 AW2 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS
Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately half hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.