Amor asteroid to pass Earth at close quarters today, reveals NASA

NASA defines asteroids as ancient space rocks floating in space that have been left over from the solar system’s formation about 4.6 billion years ago.

Most asteroids are located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter but they can come close to Earth on occasion.

NASA and other space agencies use advanced space and ground-based telescopes to monitor asteroids and minimize the uncertainties around their close approaches.

Using its advanced tech, the US Space Agency has shed light on an asteroid that is set to pass Earth at close quarters today, April 19.

The asteroid has been given the designation of Asteroid 2024 FU4 by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

It is travelling towards Earth in its orbit at a speed of 27099 kilometres per hour, which is much faster than Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)!

This asteroid is expected to pass Earth at a distance of approximately 7.3 million kilometres.

In terms of size, the asteroid is nearly 95 feet wide, which makes it almost the size of an aircraft. 

It belongs to the Amor group of Near-Earth Asteroids.