Two asteroids set to buzz Earth, NASA warns

NASA has warned about two asteroids that are set to make an alarmingly close approach towards Earth. Should you worry?

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Feb 17 2023, 18:29 IST
Asteroid in Pics: 5 space rocks set to buzz Earth closely today
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1/5 Asteroid 2022 YY6 - A 65 feet wide asteroid that is nearly as big as a house, will fly past Earth by a very close margin today, January 2. The asteroid, named Asteroid 2022 YY6, will make its closest approach with the planet at an extremely close distance of just 814,000 kilometers. The asteroid is travelling towards the planet at a blistering speed of 72956 kilometers per hour.  (Pixabay)
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2/5 Asteroid 2022 YP5 – Another humongous asteroid named 2022 YP5 will make its closest approach to Earth today at a distance of 2.9 million kilometers. NASA claims that the asteroid is almost the size of a house with a width of 43 feet and it is travelling at a speed of 17243 kilometers per hour towards the planet!  (Pixabay)
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3/5 Asteroid 2022 YU3 - NASA has issued an alert against another asteroid named Asteroid 2022 YU3. This asteroid is huge with a width of 76 feet, making it nearly as big as an aircraft! It is expected to fly past Earth closely today, January 2 at a distance of 3.7 million kilometers. The asteroid is already on its way towards Earth, travelling at a staggering speed of 25682 kilometers per hour.  (Pixabay)
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4/5 Asteroid 2022 YT3 – Another asteroid, with a size between 49 feet and 134 feet, is all set to make a close approach to Earth today. The speeding space rock, called Asteroid 2022 YT3, will pass the planet at a distance of 4.2 million kilometers. NASA has revealed that the asteroid is moving towards Earth at a staggering speed of 23181 kilometers per hour!  (Wikimedia Commons)
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5/5 Asteroid 2021 NF - The fifth and largest asteroid, with a size ranging between 98 feet and 219 feet, is named Asteroid 2021 NF and will be making its closest Earth approach today, January 2. It will come as close as 6.8 million kilometers, according to NASA JPL. The asteroid is moving at a speed of 40776 kilometers per hour towards Earth.  (Pixabay)
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Two asteroids will make an extremely close approach towards Earth today. (Wikimedia Commons)

Two asteroids are hurtling towards Earth at a terrifying pace, NASA has revealed. According to CNEOS data, the first asteroid, named 2020 DG4, which is about 25-foot in diameter, roughly the size of a bus, is moving at a rapid speed of 24,913 kilometres per hour. The second asteroid, named 2023 CW2, a 14-foot space rock, is rushing towards Earth at a speed of 8,112 kilometres per hour. Despite their small sizes, you may be wondering why have they become a cause for concern.

The main concern is the close proximity of the asteroids to Earth. According to NASA's asteroid data tracking page, Asteroid 2020 DG4 will come alarmingly close to Earth on February 17, at a distance of only 343,000 miles. Similarly, asteroid 2023 CW2 will be just 387,000 miles away from Earth, which is only slightly farther than the distance between Earth and the Moon. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is approximately 239,000 miles.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Center for NEO Studies maintains a list of near-Earth objects that are likely to make close approaches to Earth in order to detect any potential dangers ahead of time. NASA's JPL has classified all space rocks that come within 4.6 million miles of Earth and have a size greater than approximately 150 meters as "potentially hazardous objects." This is precisely what makes the small asteroid a potential threat to Earth.

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How NASA tracks asteroids

NASA uses various technologies, such as telescopes and satellites, both on Earth and in space, to monitor these asteroids. Planetary radar, conducted by radio telescopes at NASA's Deep Space Network and the National Science Foundation's Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, provides some of the most detailed characterization data for NEOs that come close enough to Earth to be observed.

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First Published Date: 17 Feb, 18:12 IST
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