NASA reveals details of 130-foot asteroid passing Earth today; Find out its speed, size, and more
In recent weeks, Earth has witnessed numerous occurrences of asteroids coming close to our planet. Yesterday, a 45 feet wide asteroid passed by at a distance of roughly 3 million kilometers. To address the potential risks associated with these near misses, space agencies like NASA and ESA have devised advanced technology to monitor the paths of these celestial objects and potentially divert them if a collision threat arises. Leveraging its technological capabilities, NASA has now provided insights into an asteroid that is anticipated to pass by Earth today, January 23. Discover more about this imminent encounter.
Asteroid 2021 BL3: Speed, Size, Distance and More
According to data from NASA’s CNEOS (Center for Near-Earth Object Studies), the asteroid has been named Asteroid 2021 BL3. Asteroid 2021 BL3 is expected to pass Earth at a distance of about 6.6 million kilometers today. It is already orbiting Earth at a speed of 84,220 kilometers per hour, which is even faster than most space shuttles!
This space rock 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.
According to NASA, this is not the first time asteroid 2021 BL3 has come close to Earth. It passed the planet for the first time on February 17, 1979 at a distance of about 74 million kilometers. After today, it will pass the planet at a distance of 24 million kilometers on January 20, 2027.
How big is it?
Asteroid 2021 BL3 is almost the size of a massive airplane, measuring nearly 130 feet across! However, it has been considered non-threatening and has not been classified as a potentially hazardous object, meaning it poses no danger to Earth.
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