NASA Alert! A massive asteroid is rapidly approaching Earth

NASA has issued an alert about a massive asteroid that will come close to Earth later this month.

The asteroid, known as 2023 CL3, will pass by Earth on May 24. (Pixabay)

NASA has issued an alert about a massive asteroid that will come close to Earth later this month. The asteroid, known as 2023 CL3, is estimated to be around 656 feet wide. NASA has included it in the “Earth Close Approaches list”, which keeps track of space asteroids that need to be monitored. This particular asteroid is more than twice the size of the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty, a famous landmark in New York, stands at a height of 305 feet when you consider the base and 151 feet when you only include the female figure. If an asteroid of that size were to collide with Earth, it could cause significant damage. That's why space agencies consider any asteroid larger than a certain size that comes within 4.65 million miles of Earth as "potentially hazardous."

Asteroid 2023 CL3 is expected to pass by Earth on May 24, at a distance of just under 4.5 million miles. Although this may seem far away, it is actually quite close in the vastness of space. The asteroid will safely shoot past us at a speed of over 51,000 miles per hour.

Concerns have been raised by experts about Earth's ability to defend itself from dangerous asteroids. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has expressed worry about our lack of defense against a potential impact. In response, NASA has been exploring different defense methods. They conducted the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission last year, which successfully demonstrated NASA's capability to alter the course of an asteroid called Dimorphos.

In short, a massive asteroid, will approach Earth at a speed of 51,000 mph. Although it will pass by at a safe distance, it serves as a reminder that we need to be prepared for potential asteroid threats in the future.