NASA predicts that a colossal asteroid, comparable in size to an aircraft, will approach Earth imminently and make a subsequent return in 2170.
Most asteroids are typically found in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. However, occasionally these celestial objects can be influenced by the gravitational pull of a large planet, causing them to veer towards the planet and potentially collide with it. In order to reduce uncertainties surrounding these close encounters, NASA employs advanced telescopes like NEOWISE, Pans-STARRS1, and Catalina Sky Survey, both in space and on the ground. Utilizing this cutting-edge technology, the US Space Agency has provided information on an asteroid that is expected to pass by Earth at a close distance today, January 24. Learn more about this near approach to our planet.
Asteroid 2024 AL6: Details
The asteroid, named Asteroid 2024 AL6 by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), is hurtling toward Earth in an orbit at 65,000 miles per hour, much faster than most space shuttles! NASA expects this space rock to fly past Earth today at a distance of about 2 million kilometers.
Although this asteroid is passing close by, it is not large enough to cause panic or potential damage. According to NASA, the asteroid is about 82 feet wide, making it almost the size of an airplane. However, if it hits the ground, it can still cause some damage. In 2013, a smaller 59-foot asteroid exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, damaging 7,000 buildings and injuring more than 1,000 people.
This space rock belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-passing 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.
NASA has also revealed that asteroid 2024 AL6 has never passed Earth before and this is its first approach. After today, it will come close to Earth again on January 2, 2170, at a distance of almost 62 million kilometers.
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