NASA Unveils Crucial Information on Asteroid the Size of a House Heading Towards Earth
NASA uses various space and ground-based telescopes, including the NEOWISE telescope and the new Sentry II algorithm, to determine the potential danger of asteroids that come close to Earth. The asteroid’s orbit is calculated by adjusting its computed path around the sun until the predicted positions of the object match the actual observations made at several observed times.
NASA has now used similar technology to reveal details of an asteroid that is due to approach Earth today.
Asteroid 2018 KR
The asteroid, as it is named Asteroid 2018 KR, is heading towards Earth today, June 7. NASA’s Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) spotted the asteroid, which is responsible for observing the sky and several near-Earth objects (NEOs).
I wonder how big it is? NASA revealed that this asteroid is about the size of a house and has a diameter of 59 feet. Its first transmission in Earth’s history took place on December 28, 1913, when it passed the planet at a distance of 3.3 million kilometers. After today, an asteroid will approach Earth in 2043!
Asteroid 2018 KR is expected to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of 2.4 million kilometers today at a speed of 17,554 kilometers per hour, according to NASA. It belongs to the Aten group of asteroids that pass through Earth’s asteroids (NEAs) with semimajor axes smaller than Earth’s. Named after asteroid 2062 Ate.
How do asteroids approach Earth?
According to NASA, the orbits of asteroids can be altered by Jupiter’s massive gravity and occasional close encounters with Mars or other bodies. These accidental encounters can knock asteroids out of the main belt and throw them into space in all directions in the orbits of other planets.
