NASA lists out 5 hazardous asteroids that are heading for Earth this week

NASA has issued a warning for 5 upcoming hazardous asteroids that will make their closest approach to Earth.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Sep 19 2022, 20:29 IST
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This asteroid is worth $10,000 Quadrillion
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1/6 hereas other asteroids are generally made up of ice or rocks, this unique asteroid is made up of nickel, which is one of the building blocks of the solar system. One of the biggest asteroids in our Solar System, the 16 Psyche asteroid is made up of gold, nickel and iron deposits and is supposedly worth more than Earth's economy. The asteroid is worth nearly $10,000 Quadrillion. (NASA)
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2/6 The Psyche Mission will also help scientists to study and understand iron cores, a previously unexplored building block of planet formation. The 16 Psyche asteroid mission is a part of NASA's Discovery missions. (Pixabay)
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3/6 The findings of this mission could enable scientists to develop a way of using asteroids as resources. Asteroids could come in handy when building structures in space, such as bases on other planets or even the Moon. Due to their 85 percent metal structure, they could be an excellent source of minerals. It is even said that the raw materials extracted from asteroids could even exceed the metal reserves present on Earth. (NASA)
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4/6 The mission has been in the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations since March 2021. Since the launch window is limited, scientists and engineers have worked round the clock in order to finish the spacecraft's assembly in time. However, due to unexpected software issues, the mission has now been delayed and pushed to 2023. (NASA)
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5/6 NASA said, "Due to the late delivery of the spacecraft's flight software and testing equipment, NASA does not have sufficient time to complete the testing needed ahead of its remaining launch period this year, which ends on October 11. The mission team needs more time to ensure that the software will function properly in flight." (NASA)
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6/6 In order to reach the asteroid, the spacecraft will fly by Mars for a gravity assist in May 2023 and, in early 2026, orbit around asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. NASA says that the Psyche mission is expected to launch in both 2023 and 2024, but due to the uncertainties, the exact dates of these potential launch periods are yet to be determined. (NASA)
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A group of asteroids are posing a great threat to Earth. Here’s why. (Pixabay)

This month is going to be exciting for stargazers as the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, is ready to make its closest approach to Earth in 71 years. While people on Earth will get a chance to have a rare glimpse of it, there will be some threatening asteroids in space that are posing a threat to our planet. Yesterday, three asteroids whizzed past the Earth, one of them being as large as a giant building at 390 feet, while there was a 36 foot asteroid that came terrifyingly close. But there are more coming soon.

NASA's Asteroid Watch has listed 5 potentially hazardous asteroids that are making their close appearance to Earth in the next few days. Here's the full list of upcoming asteroids that are hurtling towards our planet.

Upcoming asteroids

  • Asteroid 2022 QJ50: A huge 110 foot asteroid is all set to make its closest approach at 2.61 million miles today, September 19. The asteroid is already moving fast with a speed of 10.20 km per second.
  • Asteroid 2022 SF: There is another asteroid, 80 foot wide, named 2022 SF which is on its way to make its closest approach to Earth today with a close distance of 3.46 million miles.
  • Asteroid 2022 SW1: The latest information stated that a 33 foot asteroid will make an extremely close approach of just 0.42 million miles.
  • Asteroid 2022 SH: This will be a 34 foot wide asteroid that will make its closest approach towards Earth on September 20 with a speed of 7.6 km per second. As per the data released by NASA, it will be at a distance of 1.88 million miles from Earth.
  • Asteroid 2022 SC1: And this airplane-sized 81-feet wide asteroid 2022 SC1 is approaching the Earth tomorrow at a blazing speed of 10.27 kilometers per second.

Why do these asteroids pose a threat to Earth?

NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard tracks asteroids and comets that will make relatively close approaches to Earth on a daily basis to detect potentially dangerous objects to the planet. An asteroid larger than about 150 meters (around 492-feet) approaching anywhere near Earth within a distance of 4.6 million miles is termed a potentially hazardous object by NASA. This is the reason behind these upcoming asteroids having been termed as potentially hazardous.

Some major telescopes at NASA's Deep Space Network and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico help to obtain the most detailed characterization data for these asteroids to ascertain the danger.

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First Published Date: 19 Sep, 20:29 IST
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