A near-Earth asteroid named 2020 WU5 will approach Earth on Jan. 13. This is a diagram of the asteroid’s approach to Earth.
A near-Earth asteroid classified as “potentially hazardous” is set to pass by the Earth in the near future, fulfilling a prediction made by the late French prophet Nostradamus for the year 2021.
In his book “Les Propheties”, Nostradamus mentioned several major events that could happen in 2021, one of which is a comet (or asteroid) impacting or passing by the Earth.
In this book of prophecies, he writes, “People see flames and long sparks in the sky.”
At the start of the new year, a near-Earth asteroid named 2020 WU5 will pass by Earth and make its closest approach on Jan. 13 UTC.
According to the website of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2020 WU5 will be between 500 meters and 1,100 meters in diameter and will cross Earth’s orbit as it approaches.
When 2020 WU5 makes its closest approach to Earth on January 13, it will be at a distance of 0.05410 astronomical units (AU). 1 AU is 149,597,871 kilometers, so the closest distance between the asteroid and Earth will be about 8.1 million kilometers.
At that time, people on the ground will be able to see it will move from Gemini to Mikado. It will be visible from mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere using telescopes with a diameter of at least 200 mm.
2020 WU5 was first spotted on November 29, 2020, when it appeared on a photograph taken by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) satellite. On December 4 of the same year, it was included in the International Astronomical Union’s Asteroid E-Notification.
Although still quite distant from Earth at its closest approach, 2020 WU5 is still classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid.
Late last month, at least three potentially hazardous asteroids approached Earth, the most dangerous of which is an asteroid named 2014 SD224.
Between 92 and 210 meters in diameter, 2014 SD224 made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 25, 2020, when it was at a closest distance of about 3 million kilometers from Earth. Its next close approach to Earth is expected to be in December 2021.
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