NASA reveals two asteroids are rushing towards Earth at terrifying speed. According to CNEOS data, the first asteroid, named 2020 DG4, is about 25 feet in diameter, roughly the size of a bus, and is traveling at a fast speed of 24,913 km/h. The second asteroid, named 2023 CW2, a 14-foot-tall space rock, is heading towards Earth at 8,112 km/h. Despite their small size, you may wonder why they become a cause for concern.
The main concern is the close proximity of the asteroids to Earth. According to NASA small planet According to the data tracking site, Asteroid 2020 DG4 will make an alarming approach to Earth on February 17, at a distance of just 343,000 miles. Similarly, asteroid 2023 CW2 will be only 387,000 miles from Earth, just slightly more than the distance between Earth and the Moon. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is about 239,000 miles.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s NEO Research Center maintains a list of near-Earth objects that are likely to approach close to Earth. Earth for early detection of any potential hazards. NASA’s JPL has classified all space rocks that occur within 4.6 million miles around the Earth and are larger than about 150 meters as “potentially hazardous objects”. This is exactly what makes the small asteroid a potential threat to Earth.
How NASA Tracks small planet
NASA uses a variety of technologies, such as telescopes and satellites, both on Earth and in space, to track these asteroids. Planetary radar, performed by radio telescopes at NASA’s Deep Space Network and the National Science Foundation’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, provides some of the most detailed characterization data for NEOs close enough to Earth to be observable.
