Potentially Hazardous Asteroid to pass Earth by a close margin! NASA reveals details | Tech News

Potentially Hazardous Asteroid to pass Earth by a close margin! NASA reveals details

NASA has revealed details of an upcoming close encounter with an asteroid that is nearly 500 feet wide! Know its speed, distance of approach, and more, as per the US Space Agency.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Dec 22 2023, 11:23 IST
Humongous 1100-foot asteroid, 4 other space rocks to pass Earth soon, reveals NASA
asteroid
1/5 Asteroid 2023 XL11: This asteroid is designated by NASA as Asteroid 2023 XL1. This asteroid is expected to pass Earth today, December 18, 2023. According to NASA, this asteroid will come as close to Earth as 2.37 million kilometers during its approach. This space rock is 52 feet wide and will travel towards Earth at a speed of 42021 kilometers per hour. (Pixels)
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2/5 Asteroid 2023 XF2: This space rock is designated as Asteroid 2023 XF2 and is expected to pass Earth tomorrow, December 19. This asteroid is 68 feet wide and will come as close as 3.74 million kilometers. This asteroid will be traveling towards our planet at a speed of 28743 million kilometers. (Pixabay)
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3/5 Asteroid 2023 XS: This huge space rock is 95 feet wide and is designated as Asteroid 2023 XS. According to NASA, this asteroid will pass Earth tomorrow, December 19. During its approach, this asteroid will come as close as 4.39 million kilometers. It will travel towards Earth at a speed of 32653 kilometers per hour. (Pixabay)
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4/5 Asteroid 2016 XD2: This asteroid is designated as Asteroid 2016 XD2 and is expected to pass Earth tomorrow, December 19. This asteroid is 180 feet wide and will come as close as 7.19 million kilometers to Earth during its approach. It will travel towards Earth at a speed of 24677 kilometers per hour. (NASA)
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5/5 Asteroid 341843( 2008 EV5): This asteroid is designated as Asteroid 341843( 2008 EV5) by NASA. This humungous asteroid is 1100 feet wide and is expected to pass Earth on December 20. During its approach, this asteroid will come as close as 6.32 million kilometers to the planet. It will be traveling towards our planet at a speed of 19243 kilometers per hour.  (Pixabay)
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Asteroid 2023 VD6 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids, according to NASA. Know how big it is. (Pixabay)

Asteroids can be found in the main asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. While these space rocks have their own orbits, they can get knocked off their course due to interaction with a planet's gravitational field. This sends them tumbling towards a planet, causing a potential impact scenario. Due to such close calls, NASA, ESA, and other space agencies have developed technology to track asteroids in their orbits, and even deflect them in case a potential impact scenario develops. Using its tech, NASA has now shed light on an asteroid that is expected to pass Earth tomorrow, December 23. Know all about this close call.

Asteroid 2023 VD6: Speed, size, distance, and more

As per the details issued by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid has been designated as Asteroid 2023 VD6. This asteroid is expected to pass Earth at a distance of approximately 4 million kilometers tomorrow. It is already travelling towards Earth in its orbit at 55680 kilometers per hour which is even faster than Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)!

This space rock 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.

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According to NASA, this is not the first time that Asteroid 2023 VD6 has come close to Earth. It first passed the planet on December 5, 1900, at a distance of approximately 23 million kilometers. After today, it will pass the planet at a distance of 9.7 million kilometers on May 2, 2039.

How big is it?

Asteroid 2023 VD6 is almost the size of a building, with a width of nearly 500 feet. Therefore, it has been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Object by NASA and is deemed potentially threatening.

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First Published Date: 22 Dec, 11:23 IST
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