Discovered 10 days ago, NASA warns about huge asteroid! 110-foot rock to buzz Earth today

NASA has revealed that an aircraft-sized asteroid could make a close approach to Earth as soon as today. Check details here.

Asteroid 2023 FT is an aircraft-sized asteroid belonging to the Apollo group of asteroids. (Bloomberg)

Asteroids are believed to be left over debris from the formation of our solar system and can provide valuable information about the early stages of planetary development. Some asteroids, known as near-Earth asteroids, can come very close to our planet, raising concerns about a potential collision. However, NASA and other space agencies actively track these asteroids and have systems in place to detect and deflect any potential threats.

NASA estimates an asteroid would have to be at least 96 kilometers wide to be considered as a planet-killer. But it doesn't mean we should ignore all the alerts issued by the space agency.

The small asteroids are still capable of causing localized destruction if they impact the surface. NASA has now warned that an asteroid is on its way towards Earth.

Asteroid 2023 FT details

The asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 FT, will make its closest approach to Earth today, March 22, at a distance of 5.1 million kilometers. According to NASA, the space rock is already on its way towards the planet travelling at a speed of nearly 39057 kilometers per hour and belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. NASA estimates this asteroid to be nearly 110 feet wide, making it as big as an aircraft.

According to the-sky.org, the Asteroid 2023 FT was discovered less than 10 days ago on March 13. This asteroid takes 739 days to complete one trip around the Sun during which its maximum distance from the Sun is 329 million kilometers and nearest distance is 150 million kilometers.

Did you know?

According to NASA, the orbits of asteroids can be changed by Jupiter's massive gravity and by occasional close encounters with planets like Mars or other objects. These accidental encounters can knock asteroids out of the main belt and hurl them into space in all directions across the orbits of the other planets.