Asteroid to come closer than the Moon! NASA raises alert about flyby tomorrow

NASA has issued an alert against a massive asteroid that is set to pass Earth at a distance closer than the Moon. Know details.

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. (Pixabay)

NASA keeps a close eye on asteroids that pass near Earth, as these objects have the potential to be dangerous. Most asteroids can be found in the region of the solar system located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, known as the asteroid belt. However, some asteroids also have orbits that bring them closer to Earth. In recent years, there have been several close calls with asteroids that have passed close to our planet. However, due to the early detection and monitoring of these asteroids, scientists have been able to determine that they pose no danger to Earth.

NASA has now revealed that a similar asteroid is all set to pass the planet and it will do so at a distance closer than the Moon! Here's what the space agency said.

Information about Asteroid 2023 DZ2

NASA has warned that an asteroid named Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is charging towards Earth and is expected to pass by the planet closely tomorrow, March 25. In fact, this space rock is already on its way towards us travelling at a staggering speed of 28004 kilometers per hour. The asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at an extremely close distance of just 174,641 kilometers.

If you compare, the Moon is located about 382,500 kilometers from Earth. This makes the Asteroid 2023 DZ2 particularly special, as it will pass Earth at a distance closer than the Moon!

Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is huge in size too. With a width of nearly 170 feet, this space rock is the size of an aircraft, as per NASA.

NASA tech used to study asteroids

NASA not only uses its space telescopes and observatories like the NEOWISE to observe and study distant asteroids, but also a variety of ground-based telescopes such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) located in the Antofagasta Region of the Atacama Desert in Chile.

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. NASA can track the orbital path of the asteroid using this infrared data and can even predict its orbit years into the future. As of now, nearly 28,000 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered using various tech instruments which track objects in the sky.