NASA Warning: Huge Asteroid heading towards Earth at superfast speed on…, are we in danger?

A massive 210-foot asteroid, named 2024 XW15, has been detected by the American space agency NASA. About the size of a large aeroplane, it is approaching our blue planet. According to NASA, the asteroid is expected to come close to Earth today. The concerning factor is its speed, which is 41,421 km/h, and it will pass within 6,460,000 kilometres of Earth. However, NASA has stated that the massive rock poses no threat to our planet and is not dangerous to us.

How Close Is It?

Notably, the massive space rock is expected to cross a distance over 16 times the regular space between out planet and the moon. Though it’s technically classed as a ‘close shave’ from astronomers’ perspective, they are in line with scientific opinion affirming there’s no danger to Earth. These kinds of events provide golden opportunities for scientists to study Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and enhance their forecasting capabilities for future encounters.

Why Astronomers, Researchers Closely Monitor Asteroid

Asteroids are remnants of the early solar system, which can be dated back to somewhere between 4.6 billion years ago. These space rocks differ from size to size and their composition. Notably, their orbits on a rare occasion bring them near our planet. Hence it is very important to track these rocky bodies for our safeguard, as an asteroid impact made the dinosaurs extinct from Earth.

Technology in Planetary Defence

The American space institution deploys the latest technologies to keep an eye on and examine Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). This is achieved through sophisticated tools created by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory coupled with advanced radar systems. Furthermore, initiatives such as OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 have brought back samples from asteroids, shedding light on how our solar system came into being and the origins of life right here on Earth.