Asteroid Rapidly Approaching Earth, Set to Make a Close Flyby Today

Today, June 20, an asteroid named Asteroid 2023 LT1 is heading towards Earth. NASA’s Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is in charge of observing the skies and monitoring various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), detected the asteroid. Despite its small size, which is comparable to that of a small house with a width of approximately 49 feet, it will come dangerously close to Earth today, June 20.

Asteroid 2023 LT1 is expected to come closest to the planet at a distance of only 686,000 kilometers! NASA has also revealed that it travels at a brisk 36,980 kilometers per hour. It belongs to the group of Apollo asteroids, which are Earth-passing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. They are named after the Apollo asteroid of 1862, which was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

How does NASA track these asteroids?

NASA tracks asteroids with a combination of ground-based and space-based telescopes. The NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) scans the night sky for moving objects and reports possible asteroid sightings, while some space-based observatories use infrared sensors to detect asteroids and their properties. Some of these include the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the NEOWISE mission.

Asteroid impact in Russia

When a 59-foot-wide asteroid exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk, it injured thousands of people. The Chelyabinsk incident not only caused millions in damage, it was also a wake-up call. According to reports, it caused damage to 8,000 buildings and injured more than 1,000.

This incident became a pivotal moment for people to recognize the terrifying threat hovering over them. It demonstrated the need for better study and monitoring of asteroids and other celestial bodies, and led to the formation of various organizations that monitor near-Earth objects (NEOs) for possible impacts.