An imposing asteroid will pass about 174,650 km from Earth, half the distance Earth - Moon in the evening of Saturday around 20:51 (Paris time), according to calculations of the Center for the Study of Objects Near Earth (Cneos) of NASA relayed by TF1 Info. However, the trajectory of the NEO "2023 DZ2" should not be a cause for concern and would not present any risk of collision with our planet.

"2023 DZ2" is part of the Apollo asteroid family that make a full circle of the Sun every 3.16 years. It is estimated to be between 40 and 90 m in diameter, more than the Chelyabinsk meteor. As a reminder, the shock wave released by the disintegration of this object in 2013 had ravaged part of the southern Urals and injured nearly a thousand people.


An observable asteroid

Like this meteor and many asteroids that are difficult to spot, "2023 DZ2" was only discovered late, at the end of February, by a team of astronomers from the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory located in the Canary Islands (Spain). It is believed to come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was expelled from its orbit after a series of collisions with other objects. According to NASA, the passage of an asteroid of this size near the Earth would occur only every ten years.

If this object does not present any risk according to the calculations, it will be possible to see it with a telescope, if it is at least six inches (15 cm) in diameter. It would also be relatively slow as it travels at a speed of 28,000 km/h (7.78 km/h), according to EarthSky estimates.

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