Today, a plane-sized asteroid, 2024 KN1, will make its closest approach to Earth, passing at a safe distance.
The asteroid, approximately 88 feet in length, is travelling at a speed of about 16,500 kilometres per hour. It is part of the Amor group and is expected to come nearest to Earth on June 23, 2024, at 11:39 PM IST, flying by about 5.6 million km away.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has confirmed that there is no risk of collision with this asteroid, as its trajectory ensures it remains a safe distance from Earth. The space agency classifies it as non-threatening and maintains that the asteroid poses no danger.
NASA actively monitors about 30,000 asteroids, identified as Near Earth Objects (NEOs), which orbit close to our planet. Of these, more than 850 are larger than a kilometre. However, none of these are projected to threaten Earth in the next century. NASA also tracks a subset of these objects, known as potentially hazardous asteroids, which could come closer to Earth and pose a risk of impact.
Furthermore, NASA’s dashboard provides detailed tracking of asteroids and comets that come relatively close to Earth. It includes data such as the date of the closest approach, approximate diameter, size comparison, and distance from Earth for each object, focusing on those within 7.5 million kilometres of our planet.
Asteroids, remnants from the formation of our solar system, vary widely in size, shape, and composition, reflecting their diverse origins and distances from the sun. Unlike planets, which have rounded shapes, asteroids often have jagged and irregular forms and are composed of different types of rocks and, in some cases, metals like nickel and iron.
