NASA Unveils Crucial Information on Giant Asteroid Speeding Toward Earth

NASA closely monitors asteroids to ensure the safety of Earth and reduces uncertainty regarding their close approaches by tracking their orbits. When a new Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is detected, NASA astronomers record its positions in the sky and share the data with the Minor Planet Center. Using this information, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) determines the most probable orbit of the asteroid around the Sun. To evaluate the possibility of an impact and narrow down the true orbit, NASA’s Sentry II employs a unique algorithm and randomly selects points within the entire uncertainty region. This approach enables the program to focus on extremely unlikely impact scenarios.

NASA, using this advanced technology, has issued a warning of a huge asteroid that will pass Earth soon.

Asteroid 2023 MG6

The asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 MG6, is heading towards Earth and will make its closest approach to the planet on July 16. What’s shocking about this space rock is its sheer size. Its estimated width is nearly 890 feet, making it almost the size of a stadium! The asteroid was discovered by NASA’s Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the skies and observing various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

Other details

Asteroid 2023 MG6 is expected to make its closest approach to the planet at a distance of 3.6 million kilometers at a speed of 44,564 kilometers per hour, according to NASA. It belongs to the Cupid group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are near-Earth asteroids with orbits outside of Earth but inside Mars, named after asteroid 1221 Cupid.

Shockingly, it is also classified as a potentially hazardous object due to its close approach distance as well as its enormous size. NASA classifies asteroids as “potentially hazardous” if they are within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth and are larger than 150 meters.

More amazingly, this is the first close approach to Earth by Asteroid 2023 MG6 in recorded history, and currently the only one in the future! But that could change when asteroids are affected by the gravitational field of a large planet like Jupiter, knocking them out of orbit and sending them tumbling toward an Earth-like planet for a possible collision.