NASA uses telescopes such as the Hawaii, Hawaii, and Catalina Sky Surveys to detect near-Earth asteroids and comets. It uses its ground-based radar to gather precise information about an asteroid’s trajectory and properties. While these space rocks are far out in space, NASA technology helps them observe and monitor if there is any danger. NEOWISE, NASA’s space-based observatory, has identified hundreds of asteroids by scanning the sky with near-infrared wavelengths of light from its orbit around Earth’s poles.
NASA, with the help of this advanced technology, has recently discovered another asteroid that may come close to Earth soon.
Asteroid 1994 XD Info
Asteroid 1994 XD is about to come very close to Earth, NASA has warned. The asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of nearly 77301 kilometers per hour and will come closest to Earth on June 12 at a distance of just 3.1 million kilometers!
Although this asteroid is not a planet-killer, it has become a concern due to its sheer size and has been declared a hazardous material. Scientists estimate it to be about 1500 feet wide, almost as big as a bridge! NASA revealed that it made its first approach to Earth on May 31, 1904 at a distance of 2.5 million kilometers, while its last approach was on November 27, 2012.
It belongs to the group of Apollo asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth.
Asteroid Apophis
NASA and other space agencies are keeping track of a particular asteroid that was previously expected to hit Earth. Although it is now determined that the asteroid did not hit the planet’s surface, this decade it will make its closest approach, giving scientists a chance to study it.
The asteroid was named 99942 Apophis and was named asteroid 2004 MN4 by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observatory. According to NASA, asteroid 99942 Apophis will make its closest approach to Earth on April 13, 2029. On that day, this space rock will reach a distance of 38000 kilometers from the Earth’s surface. This is closer than many geospatial satellites orbiting the planet.
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