According to information from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it is expected that on December 11, the asteroid 4660 Nereus will be at its closest point to Earth for 20 years.
According to NASA, it’s an asteroid larger than the Eiffel Tower heading toward Earth during the month of December, and scientists consider it a particularly unique piece.
Asteroid Nereus 4660 is classified as a “potentially dangerous” piece of rock due to its proximity to Earth, and according to experts, it is an egg-shaped asteroid 330 meters long and 4 million km from Earth. However, although it seems far away, it is about ten times farther from the Moon, which is considered close by cosmological standards, but they recommend not to panic.
According to scientists, Nereus has been a proposed target for a space mission multiple times, due to the egg’s shape, size, and orbital path around the Sun making it a perfect asteroid. Moreover, in 2009, researchers considered him a “strong candidate for a date assignment.”
NASA classifies any fast-moving space object within 4.65 million miles of it as “potentially dangerous” by cautious space organizations.
According to scientists, it may take about a year for the robotic spacecraft to enter orbit around the asteroid 4660 Nereus.
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