NASA reports that an Apollo group asteroid will come within 57000 km of Earth today – find out its size

In February 2024, there were multiple asteroid approaches, and this trend is expected to continue into March. Tracking asteroids, which are millions of kilometers away in space, is done by NASA using telescopes. When a new Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is spotted, astronomers track its position in the sky and report the data to the Minor Planet Center. The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) then uses this information to calculate the asteroid’s orbit around the Sun. With its advanced technology, NASA has identified an asteroid that is expected to pass very close to Earth on March 4.

Asteroid 2024 EF

NASA CNEOS has named the asteroid set to pass Earth today as Asteroid 2024 EF. It is expected to pass the Earth at a distance of only 57,000 km! It’s one of the closest asteroid approaches in recent months, coming at a distance nearly 7 times closer to Earth than the Moon!

According to the US space agency, it orbits at a speed of 31080 kilometers per hour, which is faster than the Intercontinental Ballistic Missle (ICBM)! It is just one of four asteroids expected to pass the planet today, the other two being Asteroid 2024 CK8, Asteroid 2024 CW6 and Asteroid 2024 EA.

Is it dangerous?

Although asteroid 2024 EF passes very close to Earth, it poses no danger to the planet due to its relatively small size. NASA says it’s only 19 feet wide, making it almost the size of a car. However, it is still designated a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) due to its close proximity, although it is not expected to impact the planet.

NASA says Asteroid 2024 EF is part of Apollo’s group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are extra-Earth space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. These asteroids are named after the huge 1862 Apollo asteroid discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.