THE BIGGEST IN MODERN HISTORY ASTEROID COME CLOSE TO EARTH 1 SEPTEMBER 2017!

The asteroid Florence, which is the largest celestial body of this type from those approaching the Earth, will fly by next to our planet on September 1. As NASA notes, an asteroid with a diameter of 4.4 km will fly at a safe distance from the Earth.

Asteroid will approach the Earth by 7 million km, which is approximately 18 distances from our planet to the Moon.

"Although many of the known asteroids passed closer to Earth than Florence on September 1, they were all rated as smaller in size," said Paul Hodas, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, USA. 

Head of the Department of Physics and Evolution of Stars of the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Wibe, in an interview with RT, commented on the approach of the largest in the history of asteroid Florence observations to the Earth. He recalled that the heavenly body, which flies to a distance closer than about 7.5 million km to our planet, deserves close attention.

"The fact that it (the heavenly body) now flies at such a distance from the Earth, can mean that in the future, closer encounters, including those threatening to collide, are possible. However, the real danger of an asteroid is manifested only if it collides with the Earth.

Its flight at any distance past the Earth does not present any danger, except for the hypothetical, very small probability that it will knock some of our satellite, "he said.

Wibe also noted that only specialists with access to professional equipment will be able to observe the approach of Florence to Earth.


"The asteroid Florence has been observed for a long time, its orbit is known with very good accuracy, it does not threaten us with any danger for the next several centuries. It will be possible to observe it only with the aid of a telescope. Specialists will do this, and try to catch him without proper qualifications is completely pointless, "the astronomer noted.