NASA Seeks Public Assistance in Tracking Asteroid Heading Towards Earth
Asteroids typically orbit the Sun in their own elliptical paths, with the majority residing in the main asteroid belt positioned between Jupiter and Mars. However, it is intriguing to understand how they manage to approach Earth. NASA explains that this occurrence can transpire when an asteroid is deflected from its intended trajectory due to the gravitational force exerted by a massive planet. Additionally, the nature of their orbits can bring them remarkably close to our planet. While these near encounters may pose a potential threat to Earth, they also present an invaluable opportunity for scientists to closely examine asteroids, aiding in the exploration of space and the unraveling of its mysteries.
NASA has now revealed that an asteroid is set to pass very close to Earth today and has released details of its approach.
Asteroid 2023 PD1
The space agency has issued a warning about an asteroid that will come very close to Earth today, August 18. According to details, the asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 PD1, will pass Earth at a distance of about 5.8 million kilometers. While not a planet killer, this asteroid is still huge, with an estimated width of 95 feet. That makes it almost the size of an airplane!
The asteroid not only misses the earth at close range, but is hurtling towards us at blistering speed. NASA has revealed that asteroid 2023 PD1 is approaching Earth at a speed of 26,962 kilometers per hour.
Other details
This space rock belongs to the Cupid group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are near-Earth asteroids whose orbits are outside the Earth but inside Mars. The asteroid is named after the asteroid 1221 Amor, discovered in 1932 by the Belgian astronomer E. Delporte. .
Shockingly, this will be the first close-to-Earth approach in the history of Asteroid 2023 PD1. According to details provided by NASA’s Small-Body Database Lookup, the asteroid will not approach any more in the near future.
Help NASA track asteroids
NASA’s new Daily Minor Planet Project allows astronomers and sky watchers to help discover new asteroids and track them in data sets. So if you’re a budding astronomer and asteroid hunter, you can help NASA find and track asteroids in space! To capture asteroids, the Daily Minor Project uses the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona, which takes nearly 1,000 images each night. Because of this number, NASA scientists are unable to study these images.
After viewing the image, all you have to do is click the yes or no button and add a comment if necessary before moving on to the next image. Here’s how you can help NASA keep an eye on these ancient space rocks!
