A 58-foot asteroid could make a near-Earth trip today, and NASA has revealed the asteroid’s key details.
Earth saw countless asteroid passes last year and the first month of 2023 has continued this trend as up to 4 asteroids passed by Earth just yesterday. While none of these four space rocks are expected to impact the Earth’s surface, their close approaches serve as a reminder of the potential danger that asteroids pose. planet can do to our planet. That’s why agencies like NASA, ESA and others continue to track these Near-Earth Objects that have the potential to cause massive destruction on Earth if they ever collide.
With the help of its advanced technology, NASA has now revealed that another asteroid is on its way, and although it is not a planetary destroyer, it will pass by Earth very close.
Key details on asteroid 2023 BA3
NASA has warned that an asteroid called Asteroid 2023 BA3 is headed for Earth and is expected to fly close to the planet today, January 30. It will make its closest approach to Earth. . The earth at a distance of only 1.3 million km. NASA says it’s on its way to Earth, traveling at a staggering 31569 km/h, more than twice as fast as a hypersonic ballistic missile!
According to NASA, the small planet 2023 BA3 is 58 feet wide, about the size of a house! It belongs to the Apollo group of small planet is a group of near-Earth asteroids named after the giant asteroid 1862 Apollo, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.
NASA Technology Explained
Surveys conducted by ground-based telescopes supported by NASA — including Pans-STARRS1 in Maui, Hawaii, as well as the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona — have identified thousands of nearby objects. The earth. And a space telescope called NEOWISE has identified hundreds of others while scanning the sky at near-infrared light wavelengths from its polar orbit around Earth. NASA uses ground-based radar to collect precise data about the asteroid’s path and its characteristics.
NASA also has a new impact monitoring system that uses an algorithm called Sentry-II to calculate the impact risk of Near-Earth Objects. The space agency has a NEO Surveyor mission scheduled to launch in 2026 to obtain even more in-depth data using a new orbiter.
