280 Feet Asteroid Warning by NASA: Check Speed, Distance from Earth, More

Updated Apr 21, 2024 1:54 PM IST

NASA has warned that a massive 280-foot asteroid is about to approach Earth. Know all the details.

Asteroid 2024 GM: NASA is keeping a close eye on Earth’s cosmic neighbor

Asteroids are rocky objects from the early days of our solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago. Most are located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. They vary in size, with Vesta being the largest at approximately 529 kilometers in diameter, while some are only 10 meters wide. Despite their combined mass being less than Soil‘s Moon, some, like asteroid 2024GMthat are the size of a building, occasionally find themselves on paths that bring them closer to Earth.

NASA‘s JPL further reveals that it is a 280-foot asteroid moving towards our home planet at a fiery speed of 38790 km/h. Moreover, it will be 7.45 million kilometers away from Earth. It is an Apollo asteroid, a type of near-Earth asteroid (NEA) with an Earth-crossing orbit. This asteroids have orbits that allow them to cross Earth’s orbit as they travel around the Sun. Apollo asteroids are named after 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group to be discovered.

Asteroid 2024 GM, with a diameter of 85 meters, is not considered a potentially hazardous object by NASA due to its size. Objects larger than 150 meters that are within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth fall into this category. However, NASA assures that this asteroid will pass our planet safely without posing any threat as its path is being closely monitored.

What are asteroids called?

Asteroids are named through a system overseen by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). When an observer sees an asteroid on two consecutive nights, they send the data to the IAU, which gives the asteroid a provisional name, such as 1992 KD.

The provisional name indicates the year of discovery and two letters indicate the order of discovery within that year. For example, asteroids found between January 1 and January 15 are called AA, AB, AC, and so on. Those discovered between January 16 and 31 are given names like BA, BB, and BC, and this pattern continues through the end of the year, with names increasing from YA, YB, YC, and so on for the latest discoveries.

NASA has warned that a massive 280-foot asteroid is about to approach Earth. Know all the details.

What are asteroids called?

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