Rare asteroid to approach Earth for first time ever today! Will NEVER come back

Asteroid 2023 NE1 will make its first-ever close approach to Earth today, but it will likely never come back.

A rare asteroid called Asteroid 2023 NE1 will make a close approach to Earth today, says NASA. (Pixabay)

In a rare event, a 190 feet wide asteroid called Asteroid 2023 NE1 will make a close pass to Earth today i.e. on July 19. It is being referred to as a unique asteroid. Know why and what's the story behind this upcoming space rock? First of all, know the details about the Asteroid 2023 NE1. US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed them.

Asteroid 2023 NE1

NASA has issued a warning against the asteroid 2023 NE1 that will come extremely close to Earth today, July 19. It will pass Earth at a distance of approximately 4.8 million kilometres and is approaching Earth at a high speed of 20410 kilometres per hour. The estimated width of the asteroid is 190 feet, which is big, but it is not likely to be harmful to the Earth.

The amazing part about this asteroid is that this is the asteroid's first approach towards Earth and what is more, it will not be coming back ever, according to NASA's Small-Body Database Lookup.

Why Asteroid 2023 NE1 is a rare event?

This space rock is part of the Amor group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which have orbits extending beyond Earth's but remaining within Mars' orbit. The group is named after asteroid 1221 Amor, discovered by E. Delporte, a Belgian astronomer, in 1932.

It is a rare event as the asteroid 2023 NE1 is approaching Earth for the very first time. Based on NASA's Small-Body Database Lookup, there are no future close approaches scheduled in the foreseeable future, making it a once in a lifetime opportunity to grab a sight of the asteroid.

Sometimes such ancient asteroids can pose a serious threat to the space environment and the Earth's atmosphere as well. However, for asteroid 2023 NE1 does not have any alarming concern except its close proximity to the Earth.

Furthermore, planetary defense research is continuously striving to develop methods for mitigating potential risks of asteroid impacts in the future.

How NASA tracks Asteroid?

Near-Earth objects like asteroids and meteors are tracked and detected byNASA using ground-based observatories and the NEOWISE satellite. It not only tries to locate each and every asteroid that comes near Earth, but also describes them in terms of size, speed, and distance.