Asteroid to pass Earth at just 18700 km, reveals NASA; Check speed, size and more

Asteroids are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago, as per NASA.

These space rocks often come close to Earth following an interaction with the gravitational field of a large planet like Jupiter.

This sends them tumbling towards a planet like Earth, raising a potential impact scenario. Due to this uncertainty, observing and tracking asteroids in their orbits is crucial.

NASA has now revealed that an asteroid will pass the planet at an extremely close distance today, April 11.

The asteroid has been tracked by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies and has been designated Asteroid 2024 GJ2.

is likely to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of just 18,700 kilometres which is less than 1/10 the distance of the Moon from Earth!

Ahead of its close approach, it has been tracked travelling in its orbit at a speed of 51726 kilometres per hour.

In terms of size, the asteroid is just 9.4 feet wide. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids.