X-wing-sized asteroid whizzes previous Earth on Star Wars Day

Star Wars Day is a big day in geek tradition, the place followers of the spacefaring, laser sword-wielding Jedi come collectively to have fun all the pieces they love in regards to the franchise. On prime of being a day stuffed with nice Star Wars toy offers, it’s additionally a day for extra asteroids to whiz their well past our planet, and the newest offender making a visit previous our little blue orb is an x-wing-sized asteroid often called Asteroid 2023 HF7.

Asteroid 2023 HF7 is estimated to measure simply round 15 meters or so in diameter, making it near the identical diameter as an x-wing’s whole size (simply round 13.4 meters, in accordance with fan wikis). The asteroid is predicted to go inside 639,000 kilometers. That isn’t precisely tremendous shut, however it may as nicely be in our yard when measuring cosmically.

Nonetheless, regardless of the very fact it’s coming so shut, there’s no cause to concern this X-wing-sized asteroid. Whereas it’s thought-about a Close to Earth Object (NEO), it isn’t anticipated to influence our planet anytime quickly. In truth, it’s going to doubtless be at the very least 100 years earlier than now we have to fret about an asteroid influence, although there are considerations about an asteroid influence in 2046.

These expectations and estimations are consistently altering, particularly as astronomers research newly found asteroids to determine their actual orbits and the way they work together with Earth’s orbit. Astronomers are nonetheless studying extra about 2023 HF7. Different asteroids are anticipated to swing previous Earth on Star Wars Day, although they gained’t come as shut.

For a bit extra context as to simply how shut this x-wing-sized asteroid will come to Earth, the typical distance between our planet and the Moon is simply 382,500 kilometers, so the asteroid will go near double that distance as followers all all over the world have fun Star Wars Day.