110-foot Asteroid 2023 FT1 hurtling towards Earth, says NASA; travelling at blistering speed

A huge asteroid is headed towards Earth and could make its closest approach to the planet soon. Although asteroids pass closely to Earth on a daily basis, none of them come close enough to impact the surface. However, their close approaches serve as a reminder of the potential danger that asteroids can pose to our planet. That is why agencies like NASA, ESA and others continue to keep an eye on these Near-Earth Objects which have the potential to cause major destruction on Earth if they ever impacted.

NASA has tracked an asteroid heading for Earth today and has revealed important details about the asteroid, such as it speed, distance of closest approach, size and more.

Asteroid 2023 FT1 details

The asteroid has been named Asteroid 2023 FT1 by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. The same organization has also revealed its trajectory, distance of close approach and expected speed. Asteroid 2023 FT1 will pass Earth today, April 10, at a distance of 7.4 million kilometers. The asteroid is almost as big as an aircraft, with a width of 110 feet.

NASA has also revealed that this space rock is already rushing towards the planet, travelling at a fearsome speed of 23790 kilometers per hour.

It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids, which are a group of Near-Earth asteroids named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Protection against asteroids

To counter these asteroids which head for Earth for potential impact, NASA has already carried out the testing of its DART Mission for planetary protection. The space agency crashed a spacecraft into an oncoming asteroid to successfully divert it from its path.

Now, ESA is also gearing up to build an early warning system for dangerous asteroids. Called NEOMIR (Near-Earth Object Mission in the InfraRed), the spacecraft would orbit between the Earth and the Sun at the L1 Lagrange Point, finding space rocks that otherwise get lost in the glare of the Sun, as per the ESA.

The NEOMIR mission will act as an early warning system for asteroids 20 meters and larger that cannot be seen from the ground.