Asteroid 2023 QR to get extremely close to Earth today at just 129,000 miles, says NASA

An Apollo group asteroid is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today, August 20. According to details revealed by NASA, it is hurtling toward the planet and will get very close!

The size of this asteroid is just 16 feet wide and is not big enough to become a potential threat for Earth. (Pixabay)

Asteroids have become top billing in news ever since it was first surmised that one such space rock had caused the demise of the dinosaurs. However, did you know that asteroids are sometimes called minor planets? According to NASA, asteroids are rocky parts that were left from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. The size of the asteroids ranges from 530 km in diameter to 10 m. These space rocks are usually observed in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. However, there is a probability of asteroids being threat to our planet. Therefore, it is extremely important to track them. Sometimes, interaction with a planet's gravitational field knocks these asteroids off their trajectories and sends them towards a planet like Earth for potential impact.

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.

Asteroid 2023 QR details

The asteroid which has given the designation of Asteroid 2023 QR- by NASA, is on its way towards Earth today, August 20. The asteroid was tracked by NASA's Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). It is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The size of this asteroid is just 16 feet wide. Its size is not big enough to become a potential threat for Earth. However, its closest approach to Earth can be a concern.

It is hurtling towards the planet at a blistering speed of 75165 kilometers per hour and will pass the planet at a distance of about 129,000 miles, which categorises it as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

The space agency has also revealed that Asteroid 2023 QR belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. The Apollo asteroids constitute a collection of Earth-crossing asteroids designated after the discovery of the 1862 Apollo by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth during the 1930s. The dangerous Chelyabinsk meteor which exploded over the city in the southern Urals region of Russia on February 15, 2013, was also from the Apollo Family. It injured over 1,000 people after windows exploded and flying glass hit people inside.