NASA clocks speedy Asteroid 2018 WH at 27846 kmph heading towards Earth; danger ahead? | Tech News

NASA clocks speedy Asteroid 2018 WH at 27846 kmph heading towards Earth; danger ahead?

NASA has revealed key information about Asteroid 2018 WH which is hurtling towards a close encounter with Earth today.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Nov 16 2022, 12:23 IST
Are near-Earth objects DANGEROUS? Know what NASA says about scary comets, asteroids
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1/5 Earth has objects near it, which sometimes get attracted towards the planet because of its gravitational pull. Of course, not every near-Earth object manages to reach the surface of the planet. The object needs to be large enough to survive its fiery journey through the atmosphere of the Earth. (Pixabay)
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2/5 What is a near-Earth object? Asteroids or comets that can pass within 30 million miles or 50 million kilometers of Earth's orbit are known as near-Earth objects or NEO. According to NASA, "A near-Earth object (NEO) is an asteroid or comet whose orbit brings it within a zone approximately 121 million miles (195 million kilometers) from the Sun, meaning that it can pass within about 30 million miles (50 million kilometers) of Earth’s orbit." (Pixabay)
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3/5 NASA further informed that the vast majority of NEOs that enter Earth’s atmosphere disintegrate before reaching the surface (and more than 100 tons of dust particles disintegrate in Earth’s atmosphere daily). Those NEOs that are larger than around 98 to 164 feet (30 to 50 meters) in size could cause widespread damage in and around their impact sites. Apart from NEOs, there is another category that NASA uses. These are the potentially hazardous objects (PHO). These are near-Earth objects whose orbit brings them within 4.7 million miles (7.5 million km) of Earth’s orbit, or is greater than 500 feet (140 meters) in size. (Pixabay)
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4/5 The highest risk of impact for a known asteroid is a 1 in 714 chance of impact by an asteroid designated 2009 FD in 2185. This means that the possibility that it could impact then is less than 0.2 percent. NASA said, "One asteroid that NASA is studying up close, called Bennu, has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will complete a 2-year investigation of Bennu before plucking a sample of asteroid material off its surface and delivering it back to Earth." (Pixabay)
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5/5 How can we prevent an asteroid from hitting Earth? Currently, an asteroid impact is the only natural disaster that NASA might be able to prevent. There are a few methods that NASA is studying to deflect an asteroid on a course to impact Earth. One of these techniques is called a gravity tractor—it involves a spacecraft that would rendezvous with an asteroid (but not land on its surface) and maintain its relative, optimal position to use the mutual gravity attraction between the satellite and the asteroid to slowly alter the course of the asteroid. (Pixabay)
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This dangerous Asteroid 2018 WH could pass Earth extremely closely today. (Pixabay)

Earth has been in the firing line of various environmental phenomena these past couple of months. Solar storms, geomagnetic storms, earthquakes and more, have plagued the Earth with every one of them potentially capable of causing mass damage. Asteroids too have been a common sight with at least 30 asteroids passing by in the months of August, September and October, and it seems November is likely to surpass the number. Now, NASA has warned that Asteroid 2018 WH is on its way today.

Asteroid 2018 WH info

NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). If any NEO is at risk of Earth impact, it red flags and issues the alert. The same organisation has issued an alert about an asteroid named Asteroid 2018 WH which is headed straight for Earth today, November 16.

According to NASA, this asteroid will make its closest approach to the planet today at a distance of just 959,000 kilometers, which is just three times the distance of the Moon from the Earth. This space rock is hurtling towards Earth at a staggering speed of 27846 kilometers per hour.

According to the-sky.org, the Asteroid 2018 WH belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids, which are a group of Near-Earth asteroids named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s. Most asteroids are found in the so-called asteroid belt region approximately located between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars in the solar system.

NASA's Artemis launch today

In the meanwhile, after numerous postponements, NASA is finally ready to launch its Artemis 1 mission today from the Kennedy Space Center. NASA's first attempt to launch the Artemis spacecraft resulted in failure due to a malfunction in the core stage of one of the four RS-25 engines of the Space Launch System (SLS). The launch was scrubbed again on September 2 due to yet another issue. As soon as NASA engineers sent a command to fill the hydrogen tanks, the alert went up and a hydrogen leak in the tanks was spotted.

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First Published Date: 16 Nov, 12:22 IST
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