HYDERABAD: An asteroid with diameters between 22 and 49 metres will fly by the Earth on September 1. Called 2011 ES4, the asteroid will be extremely close to the Earth’s surface on Tuesday — closer than the Moon, in fact — and will be visible to the naked eye. According to the Birla Science Centre in Hyderabad, the asteroid is estimated to be 1.2 lakh km away from the Earth. To put things into perspective, the Moon is 3.84 lakh km away as it orbits around the Earth.
“The last time something like this happened was in 1908, when it was believed that a bit of a Comet Encke struck a place called Tunguska in Siberia. So, this time also, in theory, it poses a threat. But this is a rare possibility and there’s no need to bother about it,” said Director of Birla Science, Dr D Sidharth. First discovered in 2011, this asteroid passes by Earth every nine years. The last time it made a close approach, it was visible from our planet for four days. The asteroid is equivalent to the size of several football fields.