NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been on alert as two massive asteroids along with three other asteroids are flying at a scary speed towards Earth and will come very close to the planet in the days ahead.
Even though these space rocks are not likely to make an impact on the planet, their close flyby helps carry out scientific research.
Among them, asteroid 2016 RJ20 is nearly 210 feet in diameter and will make a close flyby Earth on August 30 at a distance of 4,340,000 kilometres.
Meanwhile, another asteroid 2021 JT, which is nearly the size of a bus, measures around 38 feet wide. This asteroid will come close to Earth on September 1 at a distance of 3,890,000 kilometres.
Also, three other asteroids will make their closest approach to Earth, however, none of them are threatening.
Asteroid 2020 RL will fly by Earth on August 27 at a distance of 4.68 million kilometres. The asteroid is nearly 110 feet in diameter, which is the size of an aeroplane.
Another asteroid, 2021 RA10, which is 92 feet in diameter will make its closest approach at a distance of 2.61 million kilometres on August 28.
Asteroid 2012 SX49, which is around the size of a house, has a diameter of 64 feet. It will flyby Earth on August 29 at a distance of 4.29 million kilometres.
NASA’s JPL has been closely watching these asteroids when they make their closest approach to Earth. However, they do not pose any danger to us and provide an opportunity for ongoing research.
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 close 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 Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks.
(With inputs from agencies)
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
