Asteroid to come closer than the Moon! NASA raises alert about flyby today
A scary 160-foot asteroid named Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is rushing towards Planet Earth to make an uncomfortable close approach at a mind numbing speed, warns NASA. NASA tech and calculations have revealed that Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is set to come closer to Earth than the Moon! It can be known that the distance between Earth and the Moon is around 239000 miles. According to the information provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the 160-foot gigantic space rock will make its closest approach to our planet at a distance of a mere 10900 miles or 175000 kilometers.
Wondering about the speed at which the terrifying asteroid is travelling and how dangerous it can be? According to CNEOS, The airplane sized asteroid is moving at a speed of 28008 kilometers per hour or 7.78 kilometer per second. Though, the asteroid is large enough and if it collides with Earth, can destroy a city, it will simply pass by the planet today. Hence, it will not pose any threat to the planet and human life.
According to the information provided by The Sun, the asteroid 2023 DZ2 was discovered a month ago and scientists say it is rare for such a large asteroid to come so close to Earth. "There is no chance of this 'city killer' striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations," said Richard Moissl, the European Space Agency's planetary defence chief, as quoted by The Sun.
The asteroid is also set to return towards Earth's orbit in 2026, but it will not pose any threat for the planet on that occasion too. However, to make sure the asteroid does not become dangerous for our planet, NASA keeps an eye on the asteroid and tracks its movement. The US Space agency has deployed several Earth and Sky-based technologies like
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