A huge asteroid almost the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza will skim past Earth today, NASA has warned.
The 120m (394ft) asteroid, scientifically named 2024 JZ, will pass the planet at a staggering speed of 56,000 mph (90,123) – 65 times faster than a bullet.
A NEO is defined as any object that comes within 1.3 astronomical units (AU) (120.8 million miles) of the sun and hence within 0.3 AU (27.8 million miles) of Earth’s orbit.
Even though 2024 JZ will be at a perfectly safe distance at just 0.028 AU from Earth, this is considered relatively close in astronomical terms.
And while today’s close encounter is not a concern, Dr Bloomer says that there is a risk of an impact at some point in the future.
‘If 2024 JZ were on a threat intercept course, that would be a big problem because it’s a big old chunk of rock moving pretty quickly.’
Likewise, Dr Bloomer points out that the Chelyabinsk meteor which damaged 7,200 buildings and injured 1,491 people in Russia was only 20m (65 feet) in diameter.
Dr Bloomer says: ‘If you can get to it faster and further in advance then you actually need to make a smaller impact to make a bigger deflection over time.
NASA has alerted us to the possibility of a massive asteroid passing Earth today that is nearly the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The 120-meter (394-foot) asteroid, officially known as 2024 JZ, is expected to pass the planet at a remarkable 56,000 mph (90,123 m/s, or 65 times the speed of a bullet.
Therefore, there’s no need to rush to the doomsday bunker just yet, as this asteroid will pass Earth safely at a distance of 2.6 million miles (4.22 million kilometers).
NASA nevertheless categorizes the asteroid as a “near-Earth object” (NEO), despite the fact that it may appear far away.
Senior astronomer Dr. Edward Bloomer of the Royal Greenwich Observatory told MailOnline that the passing of today should not worry us in the slightest. ‘.
NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been pushed into orbits that permit them to approach Earth’s neighborhood by the gravitational pull of neighboring planets, according to NASA.
“Most rocky asteroids formed in the warmer inner solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, while comets, which are primarily composed of water ice with dust particles embedded, originally formed in the cold outer planetary system.”. ‘.
Anything that is within 0.3 astronomical units (AU) (120 million miles) of the sun and, thus, within 0.3 AU (27 million miles) of Earth’s orbit is considered a near-Earth object (NEO).
Asteroids larger than 140 meters (459 feet) in diameter and falling within 0 point05 astronomical units (4 point65 million miles) of Earth are classified as “potentially hazardous” asteroids.
From an astronomical perspective, 2024 JZ is relatively close, even though it will be at a perfectly safe distance—just 0.028 AU—from Earth.
This evening, a tiny asteroid known as 2024 JT3 will pass even closer to Earth, at a distance of only 12,000 miles (19,300 km).
But Earth is “absolutely” safe, according to Juan Luis Cano of the ESA’s Planetary Defence Office, who gave MailOnline this assurance.
There is “no possibility of hitting the Earth,” according to Mr. Cano. “.”.
Besides, a 5–10 m object would usually break up in the atmosphere, releasing a few tiny meteorites to the earth. “.
Professional and amateur astronomers collaborate to monitor NEOs and find objects traversing the solar system.
As a result of their efforts, several NEOs are discovered each month, and their futures are highly precisely anticipated.
Large objects like 2024 JZ flying through Earth’s orbit are actually so commonplace that the European Space Agency (ESA) classifies their passage as a “very frequent event.”.
The vast majority of these objects do not strike the earth; instead, they burn up in the planet’s atmosphere, appearing to us as shooting stars.
Every year, the Earth even travels through a few dense comet debris clouds, producing meteor showers similar to this month’s Eta Aquariids.
The possibility that NEOs will be big enough to pass through the atmosphere unharmed sets them apart from these meteors.
Even though the close encounter of today is not concerning, Dr. Bloomer notes that there is a chance that something could happen in the future.
He said, “We’re kind of gambling every day.”.
It’s a big old chunk of rock that moves pretty quickly, so if 2024 JZ were on a threat intercept course, that would be very problematic. ‘.
The Tunguska Event of 1908 caused 830 square miles of forest to be destroyed when an asteroid smaller than 2024 JZ exploded over a region of Siberian forest.
Similarly, Dr. Bloomer notes that the diameter of the meteor that struck Chelyabinsk, Russia, causing damage to 7,200 buildings and injuries to 1,491 people, was merely 20 meters (65 feet).
The fact that the Chelyabinsk meteor was previously undiscovered when it collided with Earth was the most concerning.
“The real issue lies in the fact that there are still many NEOs to be found,” Mr. Cano says, even though there isn’t a threat that is relevant at this time. ‘.
Fortunately, NASA has already committed to strategies to defend Earth from approaching asteroids.
The space agency launched the DART mission in November 2021, sending a satellite crashing into the side of Dimorphos, an asteroid located approximately 68 million miles (109 million kilometers) from Earth.
By hitting an asteroid with a small satellite early enough, this test demonstrated that the impact could push the asteroid into a safe orbit before it reaches Earth.
According to Dr. Bloomer, in order to create a larger deflection over time, you actually need to make a smaller impact if you can address it sooner rather than later.
On the other hand, you must work harder to deflect it in time if you have something that you don’t notice until it’s very late. “.
Even though this mission was merely a practice run, it demonstrated that the planet could be saved if enough time was given in advance.
