NASA JUST found a dangerous asteroid! It will approach Earth TODAY

NASA astronomers have spotted a dangerous asteroid at the very last second. It is approaching the Earth today, July 7, 2022. Find out if it can strike us.

NASA astronomers have just discovered an asteroid which is going to make a dangerously close approach towards the Earth. Know whether an asteroid strike is possible. (NASA)

NASA astronomers have spotted an asteroid which will be coming dangerously close to the Earth today, July 7. The asteroid was also discovered very recently, and right afterwards, its trajectory caused a brief concern among scientists. According to reports, the asteroid is 41-feet wide or as large as a bus. In recent times we have witnessed similar asteroids that were spotted very late, with the most prominent example being asteroid 2022 EB 5. The asteroid was discovered a few hours before it actually struck the planet. It was too small to do any damage. Now, the worry is whether this asteroid will follow a similar path and strike us. Read on to find out.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA is observing the asteroid. It has been named 2022 NF. The number in the name suggests the year when it was discovered. Scarily, the asteroid is expected to come as close as 90,000 kilometers to the Earth. For reference, this is 1/4th the distance between the Earth and the Moon. A big risk at this distance is that sometimes the asteroid can get pulled in due to the Earth's gravitational force and strike the Earth. But as of now, NASA suggests that the asteroid is likely to make a safe passage.

Asteroid to come dangerously close to the Earth today

The sneaky asteroid was discovered using the data from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). It is a system with a series of telescopes and cameras whose sole purpose is to find nearth-Earth objects (NEOs) in the space around us. The asteroid was identified on July 4 and soon after its trajectory was calculated.

According to a report by Science Alert, the asteroid is not being considered as a ‘potentially hazardous asteroid' due to its small size. An asteroid needs to be at least 460 feet or 140 meters wide in order to classify as dangerous to the Earth. Even though the asteroid is coming so close to the Earth, it will not be visible to unaided eyes due to its small size. Astronomy enthusiasts can use an amateur telescope to view this asteroid today.