NASA clocks Asteroid 2023 PX at 27252 kmph and it is hurtling towards Earth
Asteroids are space rocks mostly present in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Since these bodies are so far, how do NASA and other space agencies track them? Sometimes, interaction with a planet's gravitational field knocks these asteroids off their trajectories and sends them towards a planet like Earth for potential impact. When NASA's telescopes track a new Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA), astronomers measure the asteroid's observed positions in the sky and report them to the Minor Planet Center. The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) then uses that data to determine the asteroid's most likely orbit around the Sun, according to NASA.
NASA has revealed details such as the speed, distance, size, and more of the asteroid that will come close to Earth today.
The asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 PX, is on its way towards Earth today, August 15. The asteroid was spotted by NASA's Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The most concerning asteroid of this asteroid is its size. While it isn't big enough to be called a planet killer, Asteroid 2023 PX is almost 100 feet wide, which makes it as big as an aircraft!
It is speeding towards the planet at a blistering speed of 27252 kilometers per hour and will pass the planet at a distance of about 4.9 million kilometers, putting it in the category of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).
The space agency has also revealed that Asteroid 2023 NP belongs to the Aten group of asteroids, which are Earth-crossing Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) with semi-major axes smaller than Earth's. They are named after the asteroid 2062 Aten and the first of its kind was
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