NASA reveals that an asteroid from the Apollo group is expected to come within 3.2 million km of Earth today.
Two Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) narrowly missed Earth yesterday, with NASA monitoring their movements to ensure they posed no threat. The agency’s telescopes track new NEAs, with astronomers reporting their positions to the Minor Planet Center. The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) then analyzes the data to determine the asteroid’s orbit. Using this method, NASA has identified an asteroid expected to pass close to Earth on March 13.
Asteroid 2024 EL1
NASA CNEOS has named the asteroid set to pass Earth today as asteroid 2024 EL1. During its approach, it will come as close as 3.2 million kilometers to the planet. NASA says the asteroid is orbiting the Sun at about 28,351 kilometers per hour, which is faster than an Intercontinental Ballistic Missle (ICBM)!
Asteroid 2024 EL1 is just one of two asteroids predicted to pass the planet today, the other being Asteroid 2024 EC3.
Is it dangerous?
Although asteroid 2024 EL1 passes very close to Earth, it poses no danger to the planet due to its relatively small size. NASA says the asteroid is about the size of a house and is 56 feet across. It is almost the same size as the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk in 2013. It damaged 7,000 buildings and sent shards of glass flying across the Russian city, injuring nearly 1,000 people.
NASA says asteroid 2024 EL1 is part of 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.
