450-foot Asteroid 2018 UQ1 rushing towards Earth, says NASA; know speed of this monster rock

NASA has revealed key details like speed, distance, and more about a gigantic 450-foot asteroid that is set to make a close approach to Earth on March 17.

Here is all you need to know about the 450-foot asteroid named 2018 UQ1. (Pixabay)

Are asteroids dangerous for us and our planet? Among all the objects revolving around in the universe, not all are considered hazardous. However, asteroids, which are dubbed as near Earth objects, can sometimes be dangerous for the planet depending upon the size. It is even believed that the collision of Earth with a huge asteroid is the reason behind the extinction of the dinosaurs. Therefore, in order to deal with these threats in time, NASA keeps tracking their movements on a constant basis-each asteroid that nears Earth is tracked separately.

The US space agency has raised a concern informing that a gigantic 450-foot asteroid is rapidly approaching Earth on March 17, 2023. This asteroid will come very close to the planet, but is likely to pass by, albeit very closely, according to NASA. Here are the details you need to know about the 450-foot Asteroid 2018 UQ1.

Asteroid 2018 UQ1: Speed, distance, and more

According to the information shared by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, an asteroid called 2018 UQ1 is currently moving towards Earth and will come close to the planet on March 17. The asteroid is almost the size of a building (450 foot). It is moving at a rapid speed of 42048 kilometer per hour and will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of just 4.11 million kilometers.

How NASA studies asteroids

The US space agency uses its telescopes and observatories like NEOWISE to track and study asteroids. It also uses a variety of ground based telescopes like Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) located in the Antofagasta Region of Atacama Desert in Chile for the same.

Another asteroid nearing Earth

Apart from the 450-foot giant, another asteroid named 2020 FV4 is also hurtling towards planet Earth tomorrow, March 13, according to JPL. The 92-foot asteroid, similar to the size of an airplane, will make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of 6.73 million kilometers.