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Asteroid today: An asteroid that is the size of an airplane is set to come very close to Earth on June 17, 2024, NASA has revealed.
According to the NASA data, Asteroid LU1 will return towards Earth in May 2026. (Pexels)
The Asteroid today that is zooming towards Earth, is as big as an airplane. This asteroid is set to come very close to Earth on June 17, 2024, NASA has revealed. This massive space rock is going to get as close as 1,150,000 miles to Earth. Dubbed as Asteroid LU1, it is as big as 71-feet in diameter. While it is expected to get close, it is not expected to deviate in any way from its path.
NASA’s Small-Body Database has classified it as a near Earth asteroid (NEO) under the Apollo group. The asteroid is travelling extremely fast at 15897 miles per hour. However, there is no need to get worried about it as the flight path will take it away from the planet and back into the vastness of the solar system.
However, the asteroid will be back again. According to the NASA data, Asteroid LU1 will return towards Earth in May 2026.
Amazing asteroid facts
Notably, asteroids are mostly found within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. While most are small asteroids, there are some massive space rocks out there too. The largest asteroid is Vesta, which is about 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter. The astonishing part is that the total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of our Moon!
NASA also reports that over 150 asteroids have a small companion moon. Then are the the binary (double) asteroids. This includes 2 asteroids of about the same size, orbiting each other. And most notably, there are even triple asteroid systems.
What affects asteroid orbits
Importantly, the gravity of planets that these asteroids pass by can sometimes be strong enough to alter their orbits. The larger the planet, the more its power to affect asteroids. As can be imagined, Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, can change the direction of asteroids.
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