Gigantic 170-foot asteroid hurtling towards Earth at fiery speed!

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Asteroids come close to Earth almost every day, but did you know that there is a chance of an asteroid hitting the planet? One asteroid that NASA is studying up close, called Bennu, has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will complete a 2-year investigation of Bennu before plucking a sample of asteroid material off its surface and delivering it back to Earth. Along with collecting a sample, OSIRIS-REx will also be studying how light absorbed from the Sun and re-radiated by Bennu affects its orbit—and consequently, how that orbit could become more dangerous for Earth.

Moreover, NASA has also revealed details about an asteroid that will pass the planet at a close distance soon. Is there a chance of impact? Know details.

According to the data published by CNEOS, an asteroid designated as Asteroid 2023 MU is approaching Earth at a ferocious speed and is expected to make its closest approach to the planet tomorrow, June 23.

Well, NASA has revealed that this space rock is currently travelling towards Earth at 50305 kilometers per hour. It will come as close as 7 million kilometers, and while this distance might seem a lot, it is relatively a small number in astronomical distances, considering how big the asteroid is.

NASA estimates it to be around 170 feet wide, which makes it almost as big as an aircraft! It belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth's. These asteroids are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

These close calls with asteroids highlight the importance of continued technological development in asteroid detection