Two Dangerous Asteroids Are Approaching Earth

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Two potentially hazardous asteroids, 447755 (2007JX2) and 2020XR, are approaching Earth. They are expected to pass near the planet on December 4, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Two Dangerous Asteroids Are Approaching Earth
According to NASA, the 2007JX2 asteroid is 402.3 meters long and will come as close as 5,532,113 kilometers to Earth. The 2020XR asteroid, which is 387.7 meters long, will approach Earth at a distance of 2,209,287 kilometers.

NASA and other space agencies classify asteroids with a diameter larger than 140 meters and those that come within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth as "potentially hazardous." The risk can increase if their orbital path changes or if they collide with another object, altering their trajectory.

Asteroids are relatively small celestial bodies in the solar system that move around the main star. Unlike planets, they have irregular shapes and no atmosphere, but they may have moons. Smaller asteroids burn up upon entering Earth's atmosphere and are called meteoroids.

Large asteroids can cause significant damage if they collide with Earth. For example, the asteroid impact that is linked to the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

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