160-foot asteroid rushing towards Earth today! NASA shares details
Saturday, May 13 will be witnessing two gigantic asteroids rushing towards Earth at great speed. One is a 160-foot giant, while the other is 61-foot in width. Are their large sizes and speed enough to pose a threat to the planet? Asteroids, which are dubbed as near Earth objects, can sometimes be dangerous for the planet depending upon their size. However, the asteroids heading towards Earth today are not dangerous for Earth unless they change their trajectory.
Meanwhile, here are the details shared by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory regarding 160 foot and 61 foot giants nearing Earth.
The US space agency has informed that a gigantic 160-foot asteroid, which is approximately the size of an airplane, is rapidly approaching Earth on Saturday, May 13. Though the asteroid is humongous and will come very close to the planet, it is likely to pass by. However, it is travelling at a very rapid speed of 55008 kilometers per hour. This asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 7.11 million kilometers.
This house-sized, 61-foot asteroid too is on its way to planet Earth. It is stated to come as close as 2.97 million kilometers to the planet travelling at a speed of 24012 kilometers per hour.
The research organisation uses its telescopes and observatories like NEOWISE to track and study asteroids. It also uses a variety of ground based telescopes like Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) located in the Antofagasta Region of Atacama Desert in Chile for the same.
It is important for the US space agency to study and track asteroids in order to avoid any kind of danger or threat like asteroid collision with the planet.
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com
