Asteroid 2023 JL hurtling towards Earth for very close approach; Know details

An asteroid is on its way towards Earth, travelling at a fearsome speed and it could make its closest approach to the planet today. Check out its speed, distance and other details, as revealed by NASA.

Asteroid 2023 JL belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids. (Pixabay)

Every day, asteroids come close to Earth, but how is it possible to observe and track these space rocks which are millions of kilometers away in space? NASA uses telescopes, such as Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, and Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, to detect near-Earth objects like asteroids and comets. Additionally, NEOWISE, NASA's space-based observatory, has identified hundreds of asteroids by scanning the skies with near-infrared wavelengths of light from its orbit around Earth's poles.

To collect accurate information about an asteroid's trajectory and attributes, NASA employs its ground-based radar. NASA, with the help of this advanced technology, has recently discovered another asteroid that could potentially come close to Earth today.

Asteroid 2023 JL information

NASA has issued a warning about a particular asteroid called Asteroid 2023 JL, as it will be approaching very close to Earth. The asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of almost 44262 kilometers per hour and is set to make its closest approach to Earth today, March 11, at a distance of just 626,000 kilometers!

Despite the extremely close distance of approach, this asteroid is not a planet-killer due to its very small size. Measuring around 31 feet across, it is just as big as a bus. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth's.

Close approach of asteroid Apophis

NASA and other space agencies have kept a watchful eye on a particular asteroid which was previously expected to impact Earth. Although it has now been determined that the asteroid will not crash to the planet's surface, it will make an extremely close approach this decade, giving scientists a chance to study it.

This asteroid is named 99942 Apophis and has been given the designation Asteroid 2004 MN4 by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. According to NASA, the Asteroid 99942 Apophis asteroid will make an extremely close trip to Earth on April 13, 2029. On that day, this space rock will come as close as 38000 kilometers of Earth's surface. This is closer than many geostationary satellites orbiting the planet.