Guardians of Earth: Near-Earth asteroids found by NASA till August, 2023
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Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are celestial bodies that cross Earth's orbit within 30 million miles. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) oversees efforts to safeguard against NEO impacts, a critical aspect of applied planetary science.
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The PDCO's mission is to address the asteroid impact hazard, emphasizing proactive measures to detect and mitigate potential threats.
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NASA's NEO Observations Program: At the heart of PDCO's efforts is NASA's NEO Observations program, dedicated to finding, tracking, and characterizing NEOs.
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To date, 32,412 asteroids near Earth have been discovered til August 31, 2023. This includes asteroids larger than 1 kilometer (853 found) and those larger than 140 meters (10,541 found).
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Despite the progress, an estimated 50 asteroids larger than 1 kilometer and 14,000 asteroids larger than 140 meters are still waiting to be discovered.
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Daily Cosmic Bombardment: Earth faces a constant barrage of dust and sand-sized particles, totaling a staggering 100 tons daily.
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Close Encounters: Some known near-Earth asteroids have come closer to Earth than the Moon, illustrating the importance of tracking and monitoring their paths.
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Recent Activity: In the last 30 days, 107 observations have been submitted to the Minor Planet Center, highlighting ongoing efforts to monitor NEOs.
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NASA's commitment to planetary defense is unwavering. The quest to detect, track, and understand near-Earth asteroids continues to evolve, and these numbers are updated regularly to keep us informed and prepared.
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The reason why NASA tracks these asteroids is because the Earth has been battered repeatedly by these space rocks. Notably, one such huge asteroid that hit the Earth 65 mn years ago, killed off all the dinosaurs.