Arecibo Observatory determines that asteroid 2020 NK1 is not dangerous

San Juan. The Arecibo Observatory, a municipality on the north coast of Puerto Rico, determined that asteroid 2020 NK1, sighted in early July, it does not represent an impact hazard to Earth.

The scientific entity reported this Friday through a statement that the Earth has one less asteroid to worry about thanks to the research of an international team of scientists from that observatory.

The 2020 NK1 was spotted in early July by the Asteroid Land Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) study team at the University of Hawaii, at which time little was known about the asteroid, making it difficult to accurately predict its trajectory.

Estimates pointed to a size of 487 meters in diameter, roughly the length of five soccer fields.

Prior to the Arecibo observations, 2020 NK1 was calculated to be one of the greatest threats of all known asteroids on NASA’s potential impact list, with about a one in 70,000 chance of impacting Earth between 2086 and 2101.

The Arecibo Planetary Radar Group made it a priority to observe 2020 NK1 when it was within the range – within 8 million kilometers – of the observatory instruments.

The study period was short, between July 30 and July 31, around the same time that Tropical Storm Isaías was expected to hit the island.

The observatory team was able to determine the shape, orbit and motion of the asteroid.

“Fortunately, the storm passed quickly with no damage to the telescope or radar system, and maintenance and electronics crews were able to activate the telescope in time for observations,” said Sean Marshall, an observatory scientist who led equipment during radar observations.

The team of scientists and telescope operators were able to observe the asteroid for two and a half hours, collecting accurate measurements of the asteroid’s speed and distance from Earth, as well as high-resolution images of the asteroid.

“These measurements greatly improve our knowledge of the 2020 NK1 orbit and allow us to predict its future whereabouts for decades to come,” said Patrick Taylor, a scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, part of the Space Research Universities Association (USRA). ), who participated in remote observation.

Observations deduced that the asteroid is not expected to get close enough to Earth as to represent a danger in the future and that its closest approach will occur in 2043, when it will pass about 3.5 million kilometers from Earth, more than 9 times farther than the Moon, the team concluded.

The radar images obtained reveal an elongated shape and a diameter along its longest axis of approximately 1 kilometer.

“This event was a great example of the important role that the Arecibo radar system plays in planetary sciences and planetary defense. It shows that we have very fast response times and highly accurate measurement capabilities of range, movement and size, to Despite the storms, the COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquakes that Puerto Rico has faced this year, “said Anne Virkki, the head of the Planetary Radar group at the Arecibo Observatory.

Asteroid 2020 NK1 is one of many Potentially Hazardous Objects (PHOs) that NASA tracks.

Arecibo runs a program supported by a NASA grant to observe and characterize near-Earth objects that pose a potential danger or could be candidates for future space missions.

The observatory is home to one of the most sensitive planetary radar systems in the world, which means that it is also a unique tool available for analyzing near-Earth objects such as asteroids and comets.

Arecibo has played a role in analyzing near-Earth objects for decades, observing up to 130 objects per year.

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