 "NASA warns 3 asteroids hurtling towards Earth will come closest on THIS day")
Asteroid 2024 OR1 is hurtling towards Earth and will make an extremely close flyby on August 6. The 110-foot asteroid is the size of an aeroplane and will zoom past our planet at 6:41 pm IST. It is moving at a speed of 30,381 km/h. This asteroid belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids, rocks that fascinate astronomers and are valuable in terms of observation and scientific study. They are categorised as near-Earth objects (NEOs) with orbits that cross Earth’s path. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has issued the latest warning as part of its Asteroid Watch programme.
NASA has a set of guidelines based on which an asteroid is classified as hazardous. The space agency says that asteroids that won’t get closer than 4,650,000 million miles to Earth or are smaller than about 140 metres, that is around 460 feet, don’t pose a threat.
Asteroid 2024 OR1 will be 2,130,000 miles at its nearest point from Earth. Based on the distance, it does fulfil one criterion of a hazardous object, but it is not as big in size, so it will not pose a threat to our planet.
Two more asteroids will flyby on the same day. Asteroid 2024 OM1, 160 feet in size, is also approaching us on August 6 and will be 869,000 miles from us at its nearest point. It also belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. Asteroid 2024 PE, an Aten near-Earth object, will also zoom past us on this day. However, it is just 84 feet in size and will make its closest approach at 1,130,000 miles. Both these asteroids are expected to pass by us safely, without posing a threat.
NASA Asteroid warnings
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) regularly tracks NEOs to understand the collision risks they might pose and to be able to take action in the event one threatens the planet. An asteroid’s size, speed, and location of impact also decide if it has the potential to cause any kind of devastation. These events also provide NASA with the opportunity to learn more about these celestial visitors.
NASA has hit an asteroid in the past as part of the DART mission. It helped scientists learn more about a likely scenario where an asteroid might pose a risk to us.
