Astronomers discover new near-Earth asteroid in Crimea

Astronomers of Crimea discovered a previously unknown near-Earth asteroid

This was reported by the Telegram channel Crimea Haytarma, which is dedicated to Crimea and the life of Crimean Tatars during the occupation.

The post says that the discovery has already been officially registered and the asteroid has been assigned the temporary designation 2024 PV3.

Thus, Serhiy Nazarov, an employee of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, notes that the space object is moving at a speed of more than 10 kilometers per second. At the moment, it is six million kilometers away from Earth.

"The diameter of the asteroid is about 50-70 meters. Therefore, even if it hits us, it will not cause a global catastrophe. It will not collide with us in the next few decades for sure. We'll see what happens next. Such objects often change their own orbits," the scientist said.

Also, according to CNN, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tracked asteroids 2011 UL21 and 2024 MK, which were discovered only 13 days before approaching the Earth. The observations were made using the Goldstone Tower Deep Space Network Planetary Radar, a system of radio antennas on Earth that acts like a radar in space to explore the solar system and help communicate with astronauts in space. For example, researchers discovered the 150-meter-wide asteroid 2024 MK for the first time. It flew at a distance of 295 thousand kilometers from the Earth. However, scientists saw it only 13 days before it approached our planet. When the space body passed near our planet, it encountered the Earth's gravity, and this changed its orbit.

Earlier it was reported that a possible meteorite fragment was found in Crimea, which probably flew over the Russian city of Orenburg.