180-foot asteroid speeding at 15727 kmph set to buzz Earth today

NASA has revealed details about an Apollo-group asteroid that is hurtling towards Earth for a close encounter today. Know its speed, distance, size, and other details.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Jun 21 2023, 11:48 IST
840-foot asteroid, 4 other space rocks, speeding towards Earth, NASA warns
asteroids
1/6 Asteroid 2016 LK49 – This is a Near-Earth Asteroid that will make its closest approach to Earth today, June 19. According to NASA, this asteroid is 70-foot wide. The asteroid will come as close as 4.14 million miles near Earth and is moving at a speed of fiery 69863 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
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2/6 Asteroid 2023 LT1 –  This is a 49-foot-wide asteroid, that will make its closest approach to Earth tomorrow, June 20. The asteroid is already rushing towards Earth at a speed of 37003 kilometers per hour and will pass the planet at an uncomfortable distance of 427,000 miles. (Pixabay)
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3/6 Asteroid 2023 HF1 – With a width of almost 180-foot, this asteroid will be making its closest Earth approach on June 21. It will come as close as 2.97 million miles, according to NASA. The asteroid is rushing at a speed of 15727 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
asteroids
4/6 Asteroid 2008 LG2 – An airplane-sized asteroid named Asteroid 2008 LG2 is heading for Earth and will make a close approach on June 24. This asteroid is heading for Earth at a blistering speed of 20206 kilometers per hour. It will miss Earth at a distance of 2.5 million miles.  (Pixabay)
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5/6 Asteroid 2002 LT38 – This monster rock is almost 840-foot in size, and is heading for Earth to make a close approach on June 24. This asteroid is heading towards Earth at a breakneck speed of 25735 kilometers per hour. As per NASA's JPL data, it will be as close as 4.14 million miles. (Pixabay)
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6/6 To track these monster rocks, NASA uses various technologies, such as telescopes and satellites, both on Earth and in space, to monitor these asteroids. Planetary radar, conducted by radio telescopes at NASA's Deep Space Network and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, provides some of the most detailed characterization data.  (NASA)
asteroids
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Asteroid 2023 HF1 is an Apollo-group near-Earth Asteroid. (Pixabay)

Surveys done by NASA-supported ground-based telescopes, including Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, as well as the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, have identified thousands of near-Earth objects. And a space-based telescope called NEOWISE has identified hundreds of others while scanning the skies at near-infrared wavelengths of light from its polar orbit around Earth. NASA uses its ground-based radar to gather precise data about the asteroid's path and its characteristics.

With the aid of such advanced tech, NASA has now issued a warning against an asteroid that is set to pass Earth today.

Details about Asteroid 2023 HF1

The asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 HF1, is on its way towards Earth for a close encounter today, June 21. Wondering how big it is? NASA has revealed that this asteroid is almost as big as an aircraft, with a width of 180 feet. Its first close approach with Earth in recorded history occurred on June 26, 1980, as it passed the planet at a distance of 4.8 million kilometers. After today, the asteroid will come close to Earth on June 14, 2050!

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The asteroid was spotted by NASA's Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

Asteroid 2018 KR is expected to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of 4.7 million kilometers today at a speed of 15727 kilometers per hour, as per NASA. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth's. They are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

How does NASA track an asteroid – Process explained

When NASA's telescopes track a new Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA), astronomers measure the asteroid's observed positions in the sky and report them to the Minor Planet Center. The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) then uses that data to determine the asteroid's most likely orbit around the Sun, according to NASA.

To assess whether an impact is possible and narrow down where the true orbit may be, NASA's new Sentry II then uses a new algorithm and selects random points throughout the entire uncertainty region. This allows Sentry-II to zero in on more very low probability impact scenarios.

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First Published Date: 21 Jun, 10:15 IST
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