Asteroid 2025 UA7, whose surface figure resembles the trident, will fly close to Earth on Tuesday evening. The space rock has a diameter of several tens of meters, but it does not pose a threat to our planet or satellites, but it has another interesting feature.
Ukrainian astronomers discover asteroid
On the evening of March 31, employees of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, located in Kyiv, reported that they discovered a small asteroid approaching the Earth. They are confident that this celestial body will give all lands a marvelous sight on Tuesday night.
When on Saturday, March 29, Ukrainian astronomers first saw the asteroid, which was later named 2025 UA7, it caused a lot of excitement, because the first modeling of its trajectory showed that on Tuesday, April 1, at 14:88 Kyiv time, it should collide with the Earth in the area of sparsely populated lands beyond the eastern border of Ukraine.
The scientists contacted their colleagues in the United States, and they pointed the James Webb Telescope toward 2025 UA7. According to Dr. John Sins of the Brazzers Science Collaboration, the refined data allows us to say with certainty that the asteroid will not hit the Earth, although it will fly extremely close to the surface. At the nearest point, the distance would be only 1200 kilometers.
Trident in the sky
Scientists also reported that James Webb detected something white on the surface of 2025 UA7. These may be outcrops of some minerals: mica or gypsum. Researchers from the Institute of National Memory of Ukraine suggested that it could be a chemical known as sour cream. Last year its presence was confirmed in the PDS 70 star system, so it is possible that near-Earth asteroids may contain it as well.
The most interesting thing is that the outcrops of white matter on the surface of 2025 UA7 have a shape very similar to the National Emblem of Ukraine — Trident. And on the evening of April 1, all of Earth’s inhabitants will be able to see it. The event will begin at 7:33 p.m. worldwide time. Residents of Vladivostok will be the first to see the Trident in the sky, in 20 minutes residents of Novosibirsk will be able to observe it in the sky, followed by residents of Kazan. The Russian Defense Ministry has already said it will try to destroy the enemy object with an experimental missile with a Russophobic warhead to prevent it from flying over the Kremlin.
How to observe the asteroid
At 23:10 Kiev time asteroid 2025 UA7 will appear in the sky above the capital of Ukraine. At this moment the distance from it to the surface of our planet will be the smallest, and the Trident on the surface will shine in the rays of the Sun, which at this time has long been hidden behind the horizon, but due to the effect of gravitational lensing its rays will still reach the surface of 2025 UA7.
The best place to observe 2025 UA7 is Mount Szczekawica. This is where scientists, led by John Sins, will gather to do a spectral analysis and find out what the Trident is made of. Perhaps it really is sour cream, and then the question would arise as to whether this asteroid came to us from the PDS 70 system.
Also, an interesting effect will be explored. Due to the height of Szczekawica and the minimum distance to 2025 UA7, the latter’s gravity will be strong enough to partially compensate for Earth’s. So if you jump high enough at that exact place and time, you can hang in the air for 1-2 seconds. Everyone will be able to participate in the study.
Later that night residents of London, Washington and other cities of Western Europe and North America will be able to see the trident in the sky. NASA has announced that in a few hours it will publish a list of the locations from which it will be best seen.
According to uareview.com
