Scary Asteroid Parade on way this weekend! Is Earth in danger? NASA reveals all about these horrific space rocks

NASA has warned about the asteroids hurtling towards Earth. Do they pose danger? Know all here.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Aug 27 2022, 23:58 IST
This asteroid is worth $10,000 Quadrillion
Asteroid Parade
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)
Asteroid Parade
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)
Asteroid Parade
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)
Asteroid Parade
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)
Asteroid Parade
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Asteroid Parade coming up this weekend! NASA warned has raised a wrning about these potentially hazardous asteroids. (HT_PRINT)

In recent times, Earth has narrowly escaped the terror posed by asteroids that have flown by very close to our planet. Though none of these asteroids has hit the Earth, still they pose a threat due to their close proximity to our planet. In fact, just a few weeks ago, a smaller asteroid had impacted Earth, but it was too small to cause any damage. However, the threat is not over yet! NASA has warned that there will be four such asteroids larger than 100 feet in size that will be making close approaches to Earth this weekend. In effect, it will be an asteroid parade for skywatchers. However, do they pose any threat to Earth since they are clearly massive? Know all details here.

Upcoming asteroids hurtling towards Earth

Asteroid NEO 2022 QQ4

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) revealed that this giant asteroid has a diameter of 100 feet, and is expected to pass the Earth today while making a close approach of 5.52 million kilometres. The good part is that it will not even appear again for another century at least! So you don't have to worry about this asteroid today. However, there are more coming our way!

Asteroid NEO 2022 QP3

There is another asteroid named NEO 2022 QP3 that will fly by on August 28 at a safe distance of 5.51 million kilometres. This is the same as the size of the previous asteroid NEO 2022 QQ4 but the worrying part is that it is moving quicker, at 29000 kmph.

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Asteroid 2022 QX4

This asteroid is making its appearance after 1977! Also, it is one of the biggest asteroids that we will be going to witness in the next couple of days - 130 feet wide. At a speed of 29,000 km per hour, it will pass Earth at a distance of more than 1.8 million kilometres making it a potentially hazardous object.

Asteroid 2017 BU

100-feet wide Asteroid 2017 BU will hurtle past us on August 29 at a distance of over 6.5 million kilometres. It was discovered back in 2017 and is predicted to show up again in February 2051.

Do these asteroids pose any threat to Earth?

The Asteroid Watch dashboard of NASA tracks asteroids that will make relatively close approaches to Earth. According to NASA, the dashboard displays the next five Earth approaches to within 7.5 million kilometers or 19.5 times the distance to the moon.

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First Published Date: 27 Aug, 13:22 IST
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