NASA says bus-sized asteroid will pass Earth by a close margin today; Know how fast it is travelling | Tech News

NASA says bus-sized asteroid will pass Earth by a close margin today; Know how fast it is travelling

An Apollo-group asteroid has been tracked in its orbit and it is expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, March 8, NASA has revealed. Know how big is the asteroid and how close it will get.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Mar 08 2024, 10:00 IST
NASA says 5 asteroids will pass Earth in the coming days; From size to speed, know all about the space rocks
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1/5 Asteroid 2024 EH: The first asteroid on the list is designated as Asteroid 2024 EH which is set to make a close approach to Earth on March 7, 2024. The space rock is said to be 42 feet wide and it is moving at a speed of 34183 kilometers per hour. The asteroid 2024 EH will make a close approach by 506,000 kilometres on the given date.  (Pixabay)
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2/5 Asteroid 2024 ET1: The next asteroid is designated as Asteroid 2024 ET1 which is 22 feet wide and it will fly past the planet on March 8, 2024. The asteroid is moving at a speed of 43236 kilometers per hour and it will pass the planet by 967000 kilometers.  (Pixabay)
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3/5 Asteroid 2024 DW1: According to JPL, the Asteroid 2024 DW1 is said to be 200 feet wide. The space rock is moving at a pace of 71530 kilometres per hour and it will make a close approach to Earth on March 8, 2024. On the said date, the asteroid will fly by Earth at a distance of approximately 4.03 million kilometres. (Pixabay)
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4/5 Asteroid 2024 EO: The next space rock is the Asteroid 2024 EO which is 65 feet wide in size. The asteroid is speculated to make a close approach to Earth on March 9, 2024. NASA says the asteroid is moving at a speed of 69077 kilometres per hour and it will fly past Earth at a distance of 1.3 million kilometres. (Pixabay)
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5/5 Asteroid 2024 EQ1: The last asteroid that is set to pass Earth is Asteroid 2024 EQ1 which is reported to be 100 feet wide in size. The asteroid is currently moving at a speed of 69171  kilometres per hour. It is projected to come as close as 2.5 million kilometres to Earth.   (Pixabay)
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Asteroid 2024 EJ2 belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, according to NASA. (NASA)

With the help of its advanced ground and space-based telescopes, NASA has revealed that as many as four asteroids are expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, March 8. Most of these asteroids revolve around the Sun in their orbits but they can come close to the planet on certain occasions. This happens when an asteroid interacts with a large planet's gravitational field which can send it tumbling towards the planet for potential impact. Thus, it is imperative to keep an eye on these asteroids to minimize the uncertainties around their close approaches.

Also Read: What are asteroids and how ESA is tracking them

Asteroid 2024 EJ2: Details

The asteroid has been given the designation of Asteroid 2024 EJ2 by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). It is travelling in its orbit at a breakneck speed of around 53289 kilometers per hour, which is even faster than Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)! As per the US Space Agency, this asteroid will come as close as 558,000 kilometers to Earth today, March 8.

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While this asteroid will pass by closely, it isn't big enough to cause panic or any potential damage. As per NASA, the asteroid is 61 feet wide, making it almost as big as a house! However, if it crashes on Earth, it could still cause damage to a certain degree. In 2013, a smaller 59-foot asteroid exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia, damaging 7000 buildings and injuring over 1000 people injured. This asteroid is almost triple the size of the Chelyabinsk asteroid!

Asteroid 2024 EJ2 belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth's. These asteroids are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Also Read: 8 most valuable asteroids in our solar system

NASA has also revealed that Asteroid 2024 EJ2 has not passed Earth before and this will be its first-ever close approach. After today, this Apollo group asteroid is not expected to pass by the planet anytime in the near future.

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First Published Date: 08 Mar, 09:59 IST
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