The reporter learned from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that the near-Earth celestial telescope of the station recently found a near-Earth asteroid that is flying towards the earth.
The International Minor Planet Center, which designates it 2022 AA, expects it to fly over Earth on Feb. 4. It is also the first near-Earth asteroid to be discovered globally in 2022.
Zhao Haibin, chief scientist of the Near-Earth Object Telescope Group of the Purple Mountain Observatory, introduced that the asteroid was discovered by the Near-Earth Object Telescope at about 21:33 on the 1st.
After receiving the report, the International Minor Planet Center designated the "nova" 2022 AA.
2022 AA is an Apollo-orbiting near-Earth asteroid with a diameter of about 43 meters, nearly half the size of a standard football field. Its minimum orbital rendezvous distance with the Earth is about 341,000 kilometers, which is less than the Earth-Moon distance. Observation stations in the United States, Chile and other countries have also tracked the 2022 AA.
According to the International Minor Planet Center's numbering rules, "2022" represents the year of asteroid discovery, followed by the first letter "A" for the first half of January, and the second "A" for the first asteroid to be discovered during that period. Therefore, the number "2022 AA" indicates that this is the first near-Earth asteroid discovered by humans in 2022.
"The 2022 AA is currently flying closer in the direction of Earth. It is estimated that it will reach perigee on February 4 and will fly over 2.55 million kilometers away without posing a danger. Zhao Haibin said.
Producer: Hu Qinghai
Planner: Liu Xinhui
Reporter: Wang Jueyue
Poster Maker: Xu Zhan
Editors: Chong Dahai, Xiong Lin
It was co-produced by Xinhua News Agency and Jiangsu Branch of Xinhua News Agency
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