NASA Uncovers Details on Asteroid Racing Towards Earth at 53 Feet

The danger of asteroids is an ongoing threat to Earth that has persisted for millions of years. Throughout history, these ancient celestial objects have periodically impacted our planet, shaping its past and leading to the extinction of countless species. It was on January 1, 1801, when asteroids were initially identified and acknowledged as such.

To deepen our understanding of asteroids, especially those beyond the asteroid belt, NASA launched the Lucy mission on October 16, 2021. As previously announced, it was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The primary objective of this mission is to study Trojan asteroids. Lucy is specially designed to study the Trojan asteroids, which are located millions of kilometers from Earth. Recently, the spacecraft took its first images of the Trojan asteroid Dinikinesh.

Now NASA has caught an asteroid that is fast approaching Earth and coming very close. Know if it is dangerous for the earth or not:

Asteroid 2023 RD13

NASA has named this asteroid 2023 RD13. According to data provided by NASA on its CNEOS website, this asteroid was first spotted on August 23rd and last spotted on September 15th. This asteroid is approaching Earth today, September 17th. It moves towards the Earth at a speed of 17526 km/h. This asteroid is 53 feet wide and the size of a house. Its closest approach to Earth is expected to be 3.48 million kilometers. This asteroid belongs to the Apollo group, which was discovered by the German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Is asteroid 2023 RD13 a potential threat?

Asteroids can be “potentially hazardous” if they are within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth and are larger than 150 meters, as NASA explains. Therefore, asteroid 2023 RD13 is not a potential threat to Earth. It does not pose a danger to Earth, as its approximate size is only 16 meters. And this is so, even though its proximity to Earth is 3.48 million kilometers.