Two asteroids set to fly past Earth soon, reveals NASA; From size to speed, know all about them
In the last few weeks, we've seen asteroids pass by Earth on multiple occasions. Although these space rocks revolve around the Sun in their own orbit, interaction with a planet's gravitational field can knock them off course and bring them closer to Earth, as per NASA. These encounters can knock asteroids out of the main belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and send them tumbling in all directions across the orbits of the other planets. NASA now says that as many as two asteroids have been spotted travelling towards Earth in their orbit and are expected to pass by the planet tomorrow, March 27.
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The first asteroid to pass Earth has been designated Asteroid 2024 EA3 by NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). It is expected to pass Earth at a distance of just 3.1 million kilometers. The space agency says it is travelling in its orbit at a speed of 38754 kilometers per hour.
In terms of size, is it nearly 150 feet wide, making 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.
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The second asteroid which is predicted to pass Earth tomorrow has been designated Asteroid 2024 EO4. It will come as close as 5.1 million kilometers and is already travelling in its orbit at a breakneck speed of 53811 kilometers per hour.
In terms of size, Asteroid 2024 EO4 is smaller than Asteroid 2024 EA3 but is still as big as an aircraft, with a width of 120 feet. As per the space agency, it also belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids.
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