This distance makes it a potentially dangerous asteroid, forcing scientists to study this object more closely. It may be that he will pose a threat to the Earth.
Experts from the Arecibo Observatory joined the study of the object. They analyzed a passing asteroid known today as BX12 2020. They were able to determine that the asteroid was part of a binary asteroid system where one large space rock orbits another.
The main asteroid in this system has a diameter of about 165 meters, while its smaller satellite is only 70 meters. Observations from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico have confirmed that the asteroids have reciprocal orbit times of 45 to 50 hours. Here is what the planetary science radar team that operates the Arecibo Observatory reported:
'The primary asteroid was discovered on January 27 by ATLAS at Mauna Loa in Hawaii and meets the definition of a potentially hazardous asteroid due to its size and minimum orbital crossing distance (MOID) of 302,000 km from Earth.'
“While this means it can get closer to Earth than the Moon, 2020 BX12 is currently safe and away from Earth.”
Astronomers stressed that the movement of the object between the two observations, which were made at an interval of 23 hours, suggests a mutual orbital period of 45 to 50 hours. However, due to projection effects, uncertainty persists in the periods of rotation, and a shorter mutual orbital period from 15 to 16 hours, and therefore a change in the flight path, cannot yet be ruled out.
