Asteroid Approaching Earth and Potentially Posing a Threat

NASA announced that asteroid 139622 (2001 QQ142), with a diameter of 1.2 kilometers, will fly by on December 6 at a distance of 5.5 million kilometers, which could pose a danger to Earth. According to NASA's website, the asteroid will approach Earth on December 6 at 21:00 Universal Time (00:00 Moscow time), at a distance of 0.036 astronomical units (an astronomical unit is a measure of distance in space, equal to the average distance between Earth and the Sun), which is just over 5.5 million kilometers. It is important to note that astronomical bodies that cross Earth's orbit at a distance of up to 0.05 astronomical units or less than 7.5 million kilometers are considered dangerous. According to estimates by scientists, the diameter of asteroid 139622 (2001 QQ142) ranges from 540 to 1200 meters, and its speed is 6.66 kilometers per second. It is noteworthy that astronomers discovered this asteroid on August 22, 2001, and after completing a cycle in its orbit, it returned to the "field of view" of scientists after 22 years.