Coming today! Plane-sized asteroid set to get as close as 4.5 mn miles to Earth, says NASA | Tech News

Coming today! Plane-sized asteroid set to get as close as 4.5 mn miles to Earth, says NASA

NASA has warned that an asteroid is all set to pass Earth today, and it is a big one! Here’s what the space agency revealed.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Dec 21 2022, 10:48 IST
680-foot stadium sized asteroid, 4 others to make close approach to Earth soon!
asteroids
1/5 Asteroid 2022 YQ – NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office has alerted that a 26 feet asteroid is on its way towards Earth, rushing at a mind-numbing speed of 53063 kilometers per hour! It will make its closest approach today, December 19, at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers.  (ESA)
asteroids
2/5 Asteroid 2014 HK129 - This 680-foot asteroid is nearly the size of a stadium! NASA has warned that the asteroid, named Asteroid 2014 HK129, will make its closest approach to Earth tomorrow, December 20, at a distance of just 2.5 million kilometers. It is already on its way, travelling at a staggering speed of 41680 kilometers per hour.  (Pixabay)
asteroids
3/5 Asteroid 2017 XQ60 - A huge asteroid with a size ranging between 111 feet and 246 feet will fly past Earth by a very close margin on December 21. The asteroid, named Asteroid 2017 XQ60, will make its closest approach with the planet at a distance of 7.2 million kilometers. The asteroid is travelling towards the planet at a blistering speed of 57463 kilometers per hour!  (Pixabay)
asteroids
4/5 Asteroid 2022 YK – Another asteroid named 2022 YK will make its closest approach to Earth on December 22 at a distance of 1.2 million kilometers. The asteroid, with a width between 16 feet and 36 feet, is travelling at a speed of 10127 kilometers per hour towards the planet!  (Pixabay)
asteroids
5/5 Asteroid 2022 UD9 - NASA has issued an alert against another asteroid named Asteroid 2022 UD9. This asteroid has a humongous size, ranging between 393 feet and 885 feet, and is expected to fly past Earth closely on December 22, at a distance of 1.7 million kilometers. The asteroid is already on its way towards Earth, travelling at a staggering speed of 36969 kilometers per hour.  (Pixabay)
asteroids
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Know what NASA said about this huge asteroid. (Pixabay)

To keep a watch and track asteroids, NASA studies data collected by the telescopes and observatories such as the Pan-STARRS and the NEOWISE telescope. Now, NASA has issued an asteroid alert after due warning with the help of these tech marvels. This particular asteroid is nearly the size of an aircraft! Although this asteroid does not pose any viable threat to Earth and will pass the planet safely, it has still been classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid due to the close proximity of its encounter with Earth. Here's what you need to know.

Asteroid 2017 XQ60 key info

The asteroid, named Asteroid 2017 XQ60, is making its way towards the planet today, December 21. The gigantic 140-foot space rock is set to make its closest approach to Earth today at a distance of 7.2 million kilometers. According to NASA, the asteroid is speeding towards Earth at a staggering 57463 kilometers per hour.

Asteroid 2017 XQ60 was discovered on December 13, 2017, and it belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. According to the-sky.org, the asteroid completes its orbit around the Sun in around 364 days. During this orbit, its farthest distance from the Sun is 181 million kilometers while the nearest distance is 117 million kilometers.

NASA tech explained

Surveys done by NASA-supported ground-based telescopes – including Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, as well as the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona – have identified thousands of near-Earth objects. And a space-based telescope called NEOWISE has identified hundreds of others while scanning the skies at near-infrared wavelengths of light from its polar orbit around Earth. NASA uses its ground-based radar to gather precise data about the asteroid's path and its characteristics.

NASA also has a new impact monitoring system in place which uses an algorithm called Sentry-II to calculate the impact risk of Near-Earth Objects. The space agency has a NEO Surveyor mission planned for launch in 2026 to gain even greater in-depth data using a new orbiter.

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First Published Date: 21 Dec, 10:40 IST
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