Mammoth 200-foot asteroid dashing towards Earth; Clocked at a fearsome 35059 kmph

NASA and other space agencies have been monitoring an asteroid that is nearly as big as an aircraft and is set to pass Earth closely today.

Asteroid 2023 BP6 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. (Pixabay)

The vast majority of asteroids can be found in the asteroid belt, a region of the solar system located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. However, some asteroids also have orbits that bring them closer to Earth. NASA and other space agencies have been keeping a close eye on asteroids that pass near Earth to minimize uncertainty as these celestial objects have the potential to be dangerous. In recent years, there have been several close calls with asteroids that have passed very close to our planet and a few crashed into it. In 2013, an asteroid broke up over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia and caused millions in damage, leaving over 1400 people injured. Last week, one asteroid passed barely 3000 km from the planet.

However, due to the early detection and monitoring of these asteroids owing to advancement in tech, scientists have been able to determine whether these asteroids pose any danger to Earth weeks before they even come close to Earth. NASA has now revealed that a similar asteroid is all set to pass the planet at ferocious speed today.

Information about Asteroid 2023 BP6

NASA has warned that an asteroid named Asteroid 2023 BP6 is charging towards Earth and is expected to pass by the planet closely today February 1. In fact, this space rock is already on its way towards us travelling at a staggering speed of 35059 kilometers per hour. The asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of just 2.6 million kilometers or 0.01737 astronomical units.

An astronomical unit (AU, or au) is basically a unit of length equal to the average, or mean, distance between Earth and the Sun, that is, 149,597,870.7 kilometers. Although this distance may seem a lot, it is relatively a small number in astronomical distances, considering how big the asteroid is.

Asteroid 2023 BP6 is particularly concerning due to its sheer size. With a width of nearly 200 feet, this space rock is the size of an aircraft! Impact of an asteroid this size would cause regional destruction but would not be able to end life on Earth. However, it could still cause significant destruction to life and property if it crashed in densely populated areas.

These close calls with asteroids highlight the importance of continued technological development in asteroid detection and monitoring programs, which help to ensure the safety of our planet from the potential impact of these space rocks.