120-foot asteroid zooming towards Earth today at astonishing speed of 50796 kmph, says NASA

Not just one asteroid, as many as three massive asteroids are on their way to planet Earth today. How close will they come? Here is what NASA informs.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Apr 09 2023, 12:15 IST
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Olympus Mons volcano
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Asteroid
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Here is all you need to know about the asteroid nearing Earth today. (NASA)

It is a scary day today! A gigantic 120-foot, airplane sized asteroid named 2023 FP5 is moving at a rapid speed towards planet Earth today, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA is continuously keeping an eye on this massive asteroid to monitor its trajectory and movement to avoid any kind of mishap. However, the 120-foot giant is of no threat to the planet as of now. Here is all you need to know about the Asteroid 2023 FP5.

120-foot Asteroid 2023 FP5

Nearing to planet Earth today, Sunday, April 9, the 120-foot Asteroid 2023 FP5 will come as close as 4.09 million kilometers. The asteroid is moving at a very fast pace of 50796 kilometers per hour. As per its current trajectory, this massive rock will pass by the planet causing no harm.

Notably, this is not the only asteroid which will be nearing Earth today. Yes, there are two more. One is a 170-foot asteroid named 2023 FY13 and the other one is of 85 foot named 2023 FX13. However, there is nothing to fear as none of these asteroids will be entering Earth's atmosphere.

Asteroids fun facts

According to the information provided by NASA, every day, planet Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles. And about once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface.

"If a rocky meteoroid larger than 25 meters but smaller than one kilometer ( a little more than 1/2 mile) were to hit Earth, it would likely cause local damage to the impact area. We believe anything larger than one to two kilometers (one kilometer is a little more than one-half mile) could have worldwide effects," US space agency NASA said.

"At 5.4 kilometers in diameter, the largest known potentially hazardous asteroid is Toutatis. By comparison, asteroids that populate the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and pose no threat to Earth, can be as big as 940 kilometers (about 583 miles) across."

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First Published Date: 09 Apr, 12:15 IST
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