NASA reports that a 200-foot asteroid and 3 other asteroids will pass by Earth tomorrow; Details on size, speed, and more available
After a rare three-day period with no asteroids passing by Earth, NASA has revealed that four asteroids are expected to fly past the planet tomorrow, March 8. Although these asteroids will come close to Earth, NASA assures that there is no danger of impact and no threat to life or property. This serves as a reminder of the importance of monitoring these space rocks in their orbits. See below for more information on the upcoming asteroid approaches.
Asteroid 2024 ET1
NASA CNEOS has named the first asteroid to pass Earth as Asteroid 2024 ET1. It is expected to pass the Earth at a distance of only 967,000 km. According to the US space agency, it orbits at a speed of 43236 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than the Intercontinental Ballistic Missle (ICBM)!
Size-wise, it’s almost 22 feet wide, so it’s almost the size of a bus. It belongs to Apollo’s 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.
Asteroid 2024 EC1
Another asteroid, named Asteroid 2024 EY1, is orbiting Earth at a speed of 37,471 kilometers per hour. NASA expects this space rock to fly past Earth tomorrow at a distance of about 2.3 million kilometers.
In terms of size, Asteroid 2024 EY1 is nearly 24 feet wide, which means it’s also the size of a bus. It belongs to the group of Aten asteroids, which are Earth-crossing Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) with semi-major axes smaller than Earth’s. They are named after the asteroid 2062 Ate, and the first of their kind was discovered by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at the Palomar Observatory on January 7, 1976.
Asteroid 2024 EZ1
The third asteroid that passed by the Earth is named Asteroid 2024 EZ1. It will come as close to the planet as 2.59 million kilometers and is already orbiting the Sun at a speed of 22,632 kilometers per hour. Asteroid 2024 EZ1 is nearly 44 feet across. It also belongs to the group of Apollo asteroids.
Asteroid 2024 DW1
Asteroid 2024 DW1 is the last asteroid to pass Earth tomorrow. It is expected to fly past the planet at a distance of about 4.03 million kilometers, traveling at a speed of 71,533 kilometers per hour. This asteroid is the largest of them all, measuring about 200 feet across. It belongs to the Aten group of Near-Earth asteroids.
It is important to note that although all three asteroids have been called near-Earth asteroids due to their close proximity, they are not expected to actually collide with the planet.
