Asteroid to pass Earth at just 18700 km, reveals NASA; Check speed, size and more

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Asteroids are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago, as per NASA.

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These space rocks often come close to Earth following an interaction with the gravitational field of a large planet like Jupiter.

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This sends them tumbling towards a planet like Earth, raising a potential impact scenario. Due to this uncertainty, observing and tracking asteroids in their orbits is crucial.

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NASA has now revealed that an asteroid will pass the planet at an extremely close distance today, April 11.

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The asteroid has been tracked by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies and has been designated Asteroid 2024 GJ2.

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is likely to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of just 18,700 kilometres which is less than 1/10 the distance of the Moon from Earth!

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Ahead of its close approach, it has been tracked travelling in its orbit at a speed of 51726 kilometres per hour.

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In terms of size, the asteroid is just 9.4 feet wide. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids.