NASA has warned that asteroid 2024 LB4 is nearing the Earth.
This warning comes as part of the agency's persistent efforts to monitor NEOs (Near-Earth Objects).
Asteroid 2024 LB4
The space rock is estimated to have a diameter of 98 feet. Its size is nearly equivalent to that of a commercial airliner.
The rock is currently on a route that could bring it to a proximity of a 1,800,000-mile radius within the Earth. It is predicted to breeze past the Earth at a speed of 7.50 kmph and has been estimated to do so on June 16.
Nevertheless, the distance of the asteroid from Earth is still considered safe. In fact, this distnace is equivalent to nearly eight times that of the Earth-Moon distance.
The CNEOS (Center for Near-Earth Object Studies) of the JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) of NASA monitors such cosmic objects. With the help of radar systems and telescopes, CNEOS have been gauging the hazards, orbits, and size of these asteroids.
Interestingly, the CNEOS was able to find that asteroid 2024 LB4 is actually a cosmic body that routinely moves past the Earth.
As for the space rock, data based on observations of NASA have shown that its route will not lead to any collision or harm to the Earth.
Covering observations to refine orbits and predict journeys in the future is part of the asteroid tracking process.
Near-Earth Objects
A near-Earth object (NEO) is a comet or asteroid that moves near the orbit of the Earth. Technically speaking, NEOs have a trajectory that could lead them to within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun and, resultantly, within 0.3 astronomical units of the orbit of the Earth. This distance from the Earth is equivalent to 45 million kilometers.
While it may sound like a great distance, this is considered "near" when it comes to outer space.
NEOs generally come from objects that have gone through gravitational perturbations from planets close by. This moves them to orbits that enable them to go near the Earth.
When a NEO has a diameter that exceeds 140 meters and could be within 7.48 million kilometers of Earth, it is considered a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). If such massive asteroids were to enter the atmosphere of the Earth without burning up in flames, they could end up leading to grave injury and damage, especially if they land on a major city or an area that is densely populated.
Among the 31,000 NEOs that NASA was able to identify as of March 2023, roughly 2,300 of them are potentially hazardous asteroids.
NASA has examined all known PHAs' trajectories and found that none of them have actually posed any threat to Earth for at least a century.
NASA's PDCO (Planetary Defense Coordination Office) is responsible for identifying possible threats and risks posed by NEOs. The office coordinates and comes up with ways to protect the planet from these threats.
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