Flyby an asteroid today!NASA reveals plane-sized space rock will fly close to Earth

As many as two asteroids passed by Earth yesterday. One is as big as a 56-foot-wide house, while the other is smaller, almost as big as a bus. Although both space rocks passed close to Earth, NASA has tracked them in their orbit and confirmed that they will not impact the Earth’s surface. This is possible because NASA uses telescopes like Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, and the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, to detect near-Earth objects like asteroids and comets. It also uses ground-based radar to gather accurate information about the asteroid’s trajectory and properties. Using this advanced technology, NASA has revealed an asteroid expected to pass by Earth today (March 14).

Also read: The 8 most valuable asteroids in the solar system

Asteroid 2024 EH3

The asteroid was discovered by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which monitors the sky and monitors various near-Earth objects (NEOs). It is designated as asteroid 2024 EH3. The near-Earth space rock is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today (March 13), at a distance of 2.49 million kilometers.

NASA said that it has moved towards the Earth at an astonishing speed of about 36,517 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)! In terms of size, the asteroid is 93 feet wide, almost as big as an airplane. Although it will approach Earth, it is not expected to impact the surface.

Asteroid 2024 EH3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, which are space rocks that pass through the Earth and have a semi-major axis larger than the Earth’s major axis. These asteroids are named after the giant 1862 Apollo asteroid, which was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

Also read: What are asteroids and how ESA tracks them

It has flown by Earth before, and this is not the first time it has made a close approach. On February 8, 1940, the asteroid passed the Earth for the first time at a distance of about 69 million kilometers. After today, it will approach Earth again on June 9, 2029, at a distance of 66 million kilometers.

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