NASA reveals Apollo group asteroid to pass within 622,000 km of Earth – find out its size

Over the past few weeks, Earth has had several close encounters with asteroids. These space rocks have orbits that bring them near enough to be tracked by space agencies like NASA and ESA. By monitoring their paths, scientists can reduce uncertainties and prevent any potential impacts. Ground and space telescopes, including NEOWISE, Pans-STARRS1, and Catalina Sky Survey, are used to keep an eye on these asteroids. Thanks to these advanced technologies, NASA has shared information about an Apollo asteroid that will pass by Earth today, March 15, at a very close distance.

Asteroid 2024 EK3: Close approach details

NASA says that the asteroid was observed and tracked by an organization called CNEOS. This organization is responsible for monitoring the skies and observing asteroids and comets, celestial bodies known as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

The asteroid passing Earth today is named Asteroid 2024 EK3, and is just one of two space rocks to come close to the planet, the other being Asteroid 2020 FU. This Earth-like space rock is expected to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of only 662,000 kilometers! That’s less than twice the distance of the Moon from Earth!

NASA says the asteroid is already moving toward Earth at about 15,000 miles per hour, which is almost as fast as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)! The asteroid is only 19 feet wide, making it the size of a car. It is important to note that although asteroid 2024 EK3 will come close to Earth, it is not predicted to hit the surface.

It belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are space rocks that pass through the Earth and whose semi-major axes are 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.