NASA says 2 MASSIVE asteroids, including one that is 55-foot wide, nearing Earth today

Two asteroids are travelling towards Earth at a rapid speed today, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Check details here.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Apr 27 2023, 10:22 IST
Top NASA Astronomy Pictures of the Week: Auroras, Dark Seahorse Nebula and more
NASA
1/5 Red ring of ELVES (April 17) - It is a snapshot of ELVES lighting up the sky over Italy, a distinct type of transient luminous event. ELVES refers to the Emission of Light and Very Low-Frequency perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources. The red ELVES captured in the image had a radius of approximately 350 kilometers and occurred at an altitude of about 100 kilometers above the surface, according to NASA. (NASA/Valter Binotto)
solar eclipse
2/5 Map of Total Solar Eclipse path (April 18) - It is the map of the total solar eclipse path which will take place on April 8 next year. Viewers in locations outside the paths will not experience a total solar eclipse or annular eclipse, but they may still see a partial eclipse. Lines running parallel to each path indicate how much of the Sun will become covered by the Moon during the partial eclipse. (NASA/SVS)
auroras
3/5 Auroras in Finland (April 19) - This captured image shows auroras lighting up the sky in Saariselka, in northern Finnish Lapland. It was a result of a powerful CME hitting Earth and the auroras could be seen not only in the North but as far as New Mexico, according to NASA. The bright auroras were seen in yellow, green, red and purple auroral colours, mesmerizing skywatchers and tourists. (NASA/Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN))
Dark Seahorse nebula
4/5 Dark Seahorse Nebula (April 20) - Barnard 150, also known as the Dark Seahorse Nebula, is one of the most peculiarly shaped nebulae, located about 1200 light-years away towards the constellation of Cepheus. It is a dark molecular cloud and is so dense that the dust within blocks visible wavelengths of light. Telescopes that see visible light only detect ghostly dark patches in the sky, called Dark Nebulae. (NASA/Jeff Herman)
Hybrid Solar Eclipse
5/5 Hybrid Solar Eclipse (April 21) - It is a snapshot of the Hybrid Solar Eclipse which occurred yesterday, April 20. It crossed over remote parts of Australia, Indonesia and East Timor and was live-streamed by websites such as Perth Observatory, and the Gravity Discovery Centre and Observatory and more. According to NASA, this hybrid solar eclipse lasted just 62 seconds. (NASA/Gwenael Blanck)
Asteroid
View all Images
Here is all you need to know about the asteroids nearing Earth today. (NASA)

After 4 gigantic asteroids including one that is 1500-foot, dubbed 2006 HV5, passed Earth on Wednesday, there are two other asteroids (though not that massive!) in the queue nearing the planet today, April 27, 2023. Are these asteroids dangerous? Well, not all the objects in outer space nearing Earth, including asteroids and comets, pose a threat to the planet. The only time of concern will be when these objects are too large and the chances of their collision with planet Earth are very high. Also, these asteroids have a nasty habit of coming in out of the Sun and the glare prevents space agencies like NASA from locating them till they are almost near Earth. By then, it may be too late to take any action to stop them.

In the case of the two asteroids nearing Earth today, the danger is not serious even though they will be getting too close to Earth for comfort. Here is what NASA has informed about the asteroids, their speed, distance to Earth and more.

58-foot asteroid 2023 HU4

The US space agency via Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has informed that a huge 58-foot asteroid named 2023 HU4, which is almost of the size of a house is currently moving at a rapid speed of 28116 kilometer per hour and will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 528000 kilometers on Thursday, April 27, 2023.

Other asteroid zooming towards Earth today

According to the information shared by NASA, another asteroid which will be making a close approach to the planet is 2023 HK3. The size of this rock is between 6.8 meter and 15 meter in diameter. The asteroid will be nearing Earth by travelling at a speed of 22896 kilometers per hour.

It is always better to keep an eye on every object out in space that wanders too close to earth as as it can prove to be dangerous. Therefore, in order to stay alert and be prepared to avoid any incident and situation of an asteroid collision with planet Earth, NASA keeps an eye on the movement of asteroids, their speed, how close they will come to Earth, and more.

The research organisation uses its telescopes and observatories like NEOWISE to track and study asteroids. It also uses a variety of ground based telescopes like Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) located in the Antofagasta Region of Atacama Desert in Chile for the same.

Follow HT Tech for the latest tech news and reviews , also keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 27 Apr, 10:22 IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS