 "NASA issues sudden alert as massive house-sized asteroid hurtles towards Earth at scary speed")
NASA has issued a sudden alert after a massive house-sized asteroid, which has been named 2024 QL, has been spotted racing towards Earth at a high speed.
The asteroid is expected to make its closest approach to the planet on August 29 and will fly by at a distance of 730,000 miles.
The asteroid, which measures nearly 45 feet in diameter, will make a close flyby which has attracted attention of the space agencies and astronomers because of its speed and close proximity.
Asteroid 2024 QL is not just being observed because of its proximity but its fierce speed has also garnered attention.
The space rock which is travelling at the remarkable speed of 23,894 miles per hour has been hurtling across the cosmos at a high speed because of which it is being observed by the NASA and global space agencies.
Asteroid 2024 QL will not pose as an immediate threat to the Earth but its flyby will be monitored by NASA.
When such asteroids pass from a close distance they provide an opportunity for studying the behaviour of the asteroid more closely and improve preparedness for any cosmic encounters in the future.
This asteroid is being closely tracked by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) programme and its path is being analysed and valuable data is being gathered to understand such space rocks.
How is NASA tracking asteroids?
NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs).
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Even though many of the NEOs don’t come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention.
Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks.
(With inputs from agencies)
