Warning! NASA Telescopes Detect Gigantic 910-Foot Asteroid Approaching Earth Today

NASA has recently announced that a colossal asteroid, originating from the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, is currently hurtling towards Earth. This region of space is known to house a majority of asteroids, which exhibit irregular movements and rotations as they follow elliptical paths around the Sun. The gravitational force of Jupiter and occasional encounters with other celestial objects can significantly influence their orbits, causing them to be expelled from the main asteroid belt and redirected onto various trajectories.

NASA telescopes have detected an asteroid the size of a stadium, which is already on its way to approach dangerously close to Earth. This asteroid is classified as a potentially hazardous object due to its mammoth size and proximity. NASA has provided important details about this asteroid. Here’s what you need to know.

Details of Asteroid 2023 MG6

NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has named the asteroid Asteroid 2023 MG6. Asteroid 2023 MG6 will fly past Earth today, July 16, at a distance of 2.26 million miles. In fact, it is already hurtling toward the planet, traveling at a terrifying speed of 44,562 kilometers per hour.

What’s shocking about the asteroid is its sheer size. Asteroid 2023 MG6 has been estimated by NASA to be nearly 910 feet long, which is about the size of a stadium! It belongs to the Cupid asteroid group, a group of near-Earth asteroids named after the archetypal object 1221 Cupid. NASA says that the orbit of the Cupid asteroids is between Earth and Mars.

How NASA tracks these asteroids

Astronomers use optical and radio telescopes to study the size, shape, rotation and physical composition of these asteroids. Near-Earth objects that come close enough to Earth are studied in great detail using planetary radar. Such detailed characterization is possible using radio telescopes located on NASA’s Deep Space Network and the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

The need to study these stems from the fact that they can cause serious damage to Earth if they crash into it. The chances are slim, but previous massive collisions on Earth, the Moon, Mars and other planets show that the danger is always there.