Bridge-sized asteroid to come shockingly close to Earth! NASA reveals speed | Tech News

Bridge-sized asteroid to come shockingly close to Earth! NASA reveals speed

A colossal bridge-sized asteroid is set to make its closest approach towards Earth today and it is potentially hazardous!. Know its speed, distance, and more, as per NASA.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Jun 12 2023, 07:36 IST
5 asteroids, including 1600-foot, hurtling towards Earth at fiery pace! NASA reveals details
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1/6 NASA uses telescopes like Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, and Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, to detect asteroids and comets. NEOWISE, NASA's space observatory, has also identified several asteroids by scanning the skies using near-infrared light. Here are 5 of these asteroids that NASA has detected. (NASA)
Asteroid 1994 XD
2/6 Asteroid 2023 LA – It is a 99-foot aasteroid, about airplane-sized, which will be making its closest approach on June 12. It will come as close as 410,000 miles, according to NASA. The asteroid is moving at a ferocious speed of 37614 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
Asteroid 1994 XD
3/6 Asteroid 1994 XD – NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office has warned that the asteroid, named Asteroid 1994 XD, will make its closest approach to Earth on June 12, at a distance of just 1.97 million miles. The most worrying part is its size - it is a whopper at 1500 feet. (Pixabay)
Asteroid 1994 XD
4/6 Asteroid 2023 LO-- It is a small bus-sized asteroid of 34 feet in size and it will make its closest approach to Earth on June 13 at a distance of just 1.1 million miles.  (Pixabay)
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5/6 Asteroid 2022 WN4 – The skyscrapper-sized asteroid is heading for Earth on June 13. This asteroid, with a width of 490 feet, is heading for Earth at a blistering speed of 54272 kilometers per hour. It will miss Earth by just 2.57 million kilometers. (Pixabay)
Asteroid 1994 XD
6/6 Asteroid 2020 DB5 – This is another monster rock that will make its closest approach to Earth on June 15 at a close distance of 2.68 million miles. According to NASA, this is a colossal 1600-foot wide asteroid. NASA's CNEOS says that it is moving at a breakneck speed of 34279 kilometers per hour.  (Pixabay)
Asteroid 1994 XD
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Asteroid 1994 XD belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. (NASA)

While asteroids pass Earth at close distances almost on a daily basis, none of them are potentially world-ending. NASA classifies asteroids as ‘Potentially Hazardous' if they come within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth and have a size bigger than 150 meters. Although these space rocks are in their own orbits in space, a slight deflection in the asteroid's trajectory due to interaction with Earth's gravitational field can send it tumbling towards Earth for a potential impact.

Although asteroids have been safely passing near Earth these past few months, it doesn't mean a collision with the planet isn't on the cards. In fact, an asteroid was the reason behind the extinction of one of the largest species on the planet nearly 65 million years ago – dinosaurs.

With the help of its advanced tech, NASA has now revealed details about a colossal asteroid that is set to make its closest approach to Earth today!

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Asteroid 1994 XD information

Scientists are intrigued by Asteroid 1994 XD, due to its colossal size. According to NASA, the asteroid is estimated to be roughly 1500 feet wide, which is comparable in size to a large bridge, possibly the famous Brooklyn Bridge! Given its enormity, if Asteroid 1994 XD were to collide with the planet, it could cause immense destruction, particularly if it landed in a densely populated region.

As per the space agency, Asteroid 1994 XD is set to reach its nearest distance to Earth today, June 12, at a distance of 3.1 million kilometers. As a result, it has been added to NASA's Close Approaches list and has also been declared as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. While this distance may seem considerable, it's relatively minor in terms of astronomical measurements, considering the massive size of the asteroid. In fact, Asteroid 1994 XD is already dashing towards Earth, at a fiery speed of 77301 kilometers per hour!

Other details

NASA has revealed that Asteroid 1994 XD made its very first approach to Earth back on May 31, 1904, at a distance of 2.5 million kilometers, while its last approach was on November 27, 2012. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth's.

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First Published Date: 12 Jun, 07:35 IST
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