ALERT! 110-feet wide colossal asteroid coming towards Earth, spots NASA | Tech News

ALERT! 110-feet wide colossal asteroid coming towards Earth, spots NASA

NASA says that the asteroid 2022 OT1 is moving towards the Earth at a very high speed and is expected to make its closest approach to the planet on August 13. But how likely is it to strike us? Find out.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Aug 11 2022, 10:33 IST
What is an Asteroid? NASA defines what these dangerous objects in sky are
Asteroid and Earth
1/5 An asteroid is a small, rocky object hurtling through the sky. When seen in a telescope, an asteroid appears as a point of light, according to NASA. Most asteroids are found in a ring between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter called the asteroid belt. (Pixabay)
Asteroid and Earth
2/5 Asteroids have several shapes, they may be spherical, elongated, or oddly shaped. Some asteroids even have their own satellites! Asteroids also vary in size. From Vesta, the largest at about 530 kilometers in diameter, to asteroids that are less than 10 meters in diameter, they can be found in all shapes and sizes. (Pixabay)
Asteroid and Earth
3/5 Asteroids are also called minor planets. These celestial objects are the remains of the period during which our solar system formed, over 4.6 billion years ago. According to NASA, the current known asteroid count is 1,113,527. (HT_PRINT)
Asteroid and Earth
4/5 Asteroids can potentially threaten life on Earth. Apocalyptic movies like Deep Impact, Armageddon and Don't Look Up have always explored the ‘What Ifs’ of world destruction, with the most famous means of world destruction being asteroids crashing into Earth. (Pixabay)
Asteroid and Earth
5/5 To counter this, NASA had readied itself to potentially defend the planet against a very similar threat that is posed by asteroids by preparing the DART mission. It involves smashing a spacecraft into an oncoming asteroid at a speed of nearly 23,000kph. This knowledge will be used if an actual asteroid threatens to crash against the Earth. It will help avert an Armageddon on Earth and perhaps, even save humanity from extinction. (NASA)
Asteroid and Earth
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A 110-feet wide asteroid is rapidly approaching the Earth and it will come closest to us on August 13, according to NASA. Know how risky this can be for us. (Pixabay)

It appears that Earth is facing some massive asteroids over the recent times. Last week, we had a couple of 45 and 55-feet wide asteroids coming towards the Earth and yesterday a dangerous 100-feet wide asteroid narrowly missed our planet. And now, NASA confirms that a 110-feet wide city-killer asteroid will be making a close approach to the Earth on August 13. Like any approaching asteroid, there is always a risk that it can get pulled in by our planet's gravitational force and crash into the surface causing massive destruction and damage. But how high is the risk with this particular space rock? Read on to find out.

NASA has been collecting data on this asteroid ever since it was first discovered in July 2022. This information can be found on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) website as well as Small-Body database and Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) websites, all functioning under NASA. According to the information, the asteroid is named 2022 OT1 and it will come as close as 4.7 million kilometers to the Earth. Traveling at a speed of 20,808 kilometers per hour, this asteroid can close this seemingly huge distance in mere days if a last moment deviation took place for some reason.

At this moment, the prediction models state that the asteroid will not strike the Earth and instead will make a safe passage across our planet.

Asteroid 2022 OT1 is speeding towards the Earth

Even as the asteroid was spotted just the previous month by NASA, we have been able to collect some data about it. For instance, we know that this asteroid is moving in an irregularly elliptical orbit where the perihelion (the point in orbit closest to the Sun) is between Venus and Earth and its aphelion (the point in orbit farthest from the Sun) is between Earth and Mars.

If the Earth escapes the asteroid strike this time around, we will see this space rock annually till 2025 when it takes a break for 11 years before coming close to us again. However, it will come this concerningly close till 2039.

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First Published Date: 11 Aug, 10:33 IST
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