NASA reveals 350-foot asteroid set to pass by Earth today; Find out its proximity

In the past few weeks, Earth has once again witnessed several asteroids passing by closely. These celestial objects are influenced by the gravitational pull of planets like Jupiter, causing them to veer off course and potentially pose a threat to our planet. NASA has used its sophisticated telescopes and satellites to track an asteroid that is projected to come very close to Earth on March 12.

Asteroid 2015 FM34: Details

NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has named the asteroid Asteroid 2015 FM34. A space rock orbits at a speed of about 39,837 kilometers per hour, which is even faster than Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)! According to the US space agency, today, March 12, this asteroid will come within 7.4 million kilometers of Earth.

NASA says that although asteroid 2015 FM34 will come close to Earth and is designated a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA), it is unlikely to collide with the surface. However, it is quite large compared to other asteroids that pass by the planet frequently. The asteroid measures nearly 350 feet across, making it almost the size of a building.

Asteroid 2015 FM34 belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-splitting space rocks with semi-major axes larger than the Earth’s axis. These asteroids are named after the huge 1862 Apollo asteroid discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Previous approaches

Asteroid 2024 CL3 has passed Earth before. It flew past the planet for the first time on April 24, 1946, at a distance of nearly 72 million kilometers. NASA says that after today, this asteroid will come close again on March 17, 2027, passing the planet at a distance of 7.2 million kilometers. Therefore, it is necessary to keep an eye on these asteroids to minimize uncertainty in their vicinity.