NASA Warns of Asteroid Flying at High Speed Near Earth
Although asteroids frequently pass close to Earth, none of them pose a threat to the planet’s existence. NASA categorizes asteroids as “Potentially Hazardous” if they are larger than 150 meters and come within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth. Despite their independent orbits, a slight deviation in an asteroid’s path caused by Earth’s gravitational pull could result in a collision with the planet.
Even though asteroids have passed safely close to Earth in recent months, that doesn’t mean a collision with the planet isn’t in the cards. In fact, the asteroid was responsible for the extinction of one of the largest species on the planet – the dinosaurs – nearly 65 million years ago.
Using its advanced technology, NASA has now revealed details of a huge asteroid that is set to make its closest approach to Earth today!
Asteroid 1994 XD information
Scientists are interested in asteroid 1994 XD because of its enormous size. According to NASA, the asteroid is estimated to be about 1,500 feet wide, comparable in size to a large bridge, possibly the famous Brooklyn Bridge! When asteroid 1994 XD hits a planet, it could cause massive destruction, especially if it were to land in a densely populated area given its enormity.
Asteroid 1994 XD will reach its closest approach to Earth today, June 12, at a distance of 3.1 million kilometers, according to the space agency. As a result, it has been added to NASA’s Close Approach Program and has also been declared a potentially hazardous asteroid. While this distance may seem considerable, it is relatively small in astronomical terms given the asteroid’s massive size. In fact, Asteroid 1994 XD is already hurtling toward Earth at a fiery speed of 77,301 kilometers per hour!
Other details
NASA has revealed that asteroid 1994 XD made its first approach to Earth on May 31, 1904 at a distance of 2.5 million kilometers, while the last approach was on November 27, 2012. It belongs to the group of Apollo asteroids, which are space rocks that pass Earth with semimajor axes larger than the Earth’s.
