Mile-Long Asteroid That Appears To Be Wearing Face Mask Will Pass By Earth Wednesday

DENVER (CBS4) - A giant asteroid that measures over a mile in size will pass by Earth early in the morning on April 29 and it appears to be acknowledging the current global pandemic with COVID-19. An image recently captured by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico shows what appears to be a face mask on the space body known as 1998 OR2.

It turns out the structure of this massive space rock is playing tricks on the human eye when seen on radar.

"The small-scale topographic features such as hills and ridges on one end of asteroid 1998 OR2 are fascinating scientifically," says Anne Virkki, head of Planetary Radar at the observatory. "But since we are all thinking about COVID-19 these features make it look like 1998 OR2 remembered to wear a mask."

The asteroid poses no threat to our planet although it is classified as a PHO, or Potentially Hazardous Object. That means it measures more than 500 feet and will come within 5 million miles of Earth's orbit.

"The radar measurements allow us to know more precisely where the asteroid will be in the future, including its future close approaches to Earth," says Flaviane Venditti, a research scientist at the observatory. "In 2079, asteroid 1998 OR2 will pass Earth about 3.5 times closer than it will this year, so it is important to know its orbit precisely."