Mammoth 210-foot asteroid hurtling towards Earth, NASA on alert!
To track asteroids, NASA also has a new impact monitoring system in place which uses an algorithm called Sentry-II to calculate the impact risk of Near-Earth Objects. NASA can track the orbital path of the asteroid using this infrared data and can even predict its orbit years into the future. As of now, nearly 28,000 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered using various tech instruments which track objects in the sky.
With the help of such advanced tech, NASA has now revealed details about a colossal asteroid that is set to make its closest approach to Earth soon.
Scientists are intrigued by Asteroid 2023 KW2, due to its colossal size. According to NASA, the asteroid is estimated to be roughly 210 feet wide, which is comparable in size to a large aircraft, possibly the Boeing 747! Given its enormity, if Asteroid 2023 KW2 were to collide with the planet, it could cause immense destruction, particularly if it landed in a densely populated region.
As per the space agency, Asteroid 2023 KW2 is set to reach its nearest distance to Earth tomorrow, June 6, at a distance of 4.5 million kilometers. As a result, it has been added to NASA's Close Approaches list. While this distance may seem considerable, it's relatively minor in terms of astronomical measurements, considering the massive size of the asteroid.
In fact, Asteroid 2023 KW2 is already dashing towards Earth, at a fiery speed of 36350 kilometers per hour!
Although asteroids have been safely passing near Earth these past few months, it doesn't mean a collision with the planet isn't on the cards. In fact, an asteroid was the reason behind the extinction of one of the largest species on the planet nearly 65 million years ago – dinosaurs.
According to the Alvarez hypothesis, the
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