Apollo asteroid set for Earth encounter today! NASA tech reveals speed, size, and more

A Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is hurtling towards Earth and could make its closest approach to Earth today, NASA has revealed. Know details

Asteroid 2023 KT1 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. (Pixabay)

NASA, with the aid of the Pan-STARRS survey telescope, has recently discovered an asteroid that has been orbiting Earth and acting as a "quasi-moon" of our planet. It is also called the 2nd moon of Earth. According to Sky & Telescope, if these calculations are accurate, 2023 FW13 would be the most stable quasi-satellite of Earth ever discovered. Whenever an asteroid's orbit brings it near a planet, the planet's gravitational pull can sometimes force it to go astray. When these space rocks come near Earth for close approach, most of them burn up in the atmosphere itself without causing any harm to the planet.

However, due to the potential risk, it is extremely important to observe and track these distant objects in the sky. NASA has also revealed details about an asteroid that is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today.

Asteroid 2023 KT1

The asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 KT1, will make its closest approach to Earth today, May 30, at a distance of 3.8 million kilometers from the planet. The asteroid, which is nearly the size of an aircraft with a width of 71 feet, is hurtling towards Earth at a blistering speed of 28006 kilometers per hour.

NASA has also revealed that this space rock belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth 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 are Asteroids named?

According to ESA, the process of assigning a provisional designation to an asteroid begins when a single observer detects it on two consecutive nights and then sends their findings to the Minor Planet Centre of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The IAU assigns a provisional designation, which typically consists of a serial number like "2023 KT1". The provisional designation includes the year of the asteroid's discovery, followed by two letters that indicate the order of its discovery during that year.