The reporter learned from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences that the Near-Earth Object Telescope recently discovered a near-Earth asteroid flying towards the earth.
The International Minor Planet Center has designated it 2022 AA, and it is expected to fly by Earth on February 4.
This is also the first near-Earth asteroid discovered globally in 2022.
Zhao Haibin, chief scientist of the Near-Earth Object Telescope Group at the Purple Mountain Observatory, said that the asteroid was discovered by the Near-Earth Object Telescope at around 21:33 on the 1st.
After receiving the report, the International Minor Planet Center designated the "nova" as 2022 AA.
2022 AA is a near-Earth asteroid with an Apollo-type orbit, about 43 meters in diameter, nearly half the size of a standard football field.
Its minimum orbital rendezvous distance with the earth is about 341,000 kilometers, which is less than the distance between the earth and the moon.
Observation stations in the United States, Chile and other countries have also tracked the 2022 AA.
According to the numbering rules of the International Minor Planet Center, "2022" represents the year of discovery of the asteroid, the first letter "A" after it represents the discovery time in the first half of January, and the second "A" indicates that it is within this period The first asteroid to be discovered.
Therefore, the number "2022 AA" indicates that this is the first near-Earth asteroid discovered by humans in 2022.
"2022 AA is currently flying close to the earth. According to calculations, it will reach perigee on February 4, and will fly past 2.55 million kilometers away, which will not pose a danger." Zhao Haibin said.