Stylised image of a threatening asteroid for illustrative purposes. (Image Credit: Bing Image Creator/News9).
A number of asteroids orbit the Sun at around the same distance as the Earth, and frequently make close approaches to the planet. On January 15, 2024, two asteroids will make a close approach to the Earth. 2024 AT2 is the smaller of the two asteroids, measuring between 9.3 and 21 metres across, and will approach within 14,21,583 kilometres of the Earth, or four times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, known as the lunar distance. The asteroid will zip past the Earth at 8.70 kilometres per second, and poses no threat to the planet or its inhabitants.
The second asteroid that is slotted for a close Earth encounter bears the designation of 2015 AK1. It is the larger of the two asteroids, and measures between 39 and 87 metres. The Qutb Minar is 72 metres tall. 2015 AK1 is the faster moving of the two asteroids, and will zip past the Earth at a blistering 13.22 kilometres per second. The asteroid will approach within 60,69,512 kilometres of the Earth, or 16 times the lunar distance. This asteroid too, will zip past the Earth and poses no threat to the inhabitants of the planet. Both the asteroids belong to a classification of near Earth objects known as Apollos, which have orbits larger than that of the Earth, but one that intersects with the orbit of the Earth.
While this time, 2015 AK1 will fly safely past the Earth, an asteroid of comparable size and velocity actually impacts the Earth about once every 1,000 years. If such an impact were to take place over a metro city, a crater 72 metres deep would be formed, vapourising about 100 people in the impact crater. The energy equivalent of about 11 megatons of TNT would be released, which is more than the energy released during the infamous Tunguska explosion. If the impact were to take place on water, it would result in a tsunami 140 metres in height.
