By Airplane-Sized asteroid is coming close to Earth today. Know details.
NASA has confirmed that a massive space rock is racing towards Earth today, making a close approach. While most asteroids remain in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, some deviate from their paths and come close to celestial bodies, including Earth. One such asteroid, named Asteroid 2024 LO2, is set to make its closest approach today. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Asteroid 2024 LO2 is 89 feet wide—about the size of an aeroplane—and will pass just 3.38 million miles from Earth. The closest approach is expected on June 21, 2024. This asteroid is traveling at a speed of 32,928 kilometres per hour (9.15 kilometers per second), as confirmed by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).
Asteroid 2024 LO2 belongs to the Amor group of near-Earth asteroids, named after the archetype asteroid 1221 Amor. It last made a close approach to Earth on May 8, 2021, and will return for another close encounter on August 16, 2027.
Is Asteroid 2024 LO2 Potentially Hazardous?
NASA considers an asteroid potentially hazardous if it comes within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometres) of Earth and is larger than about 150 meters. Although Asteroid 2024 LO2 is making a close pass, it does not meet the size criterion to be classified as potentially hazardous. Nevertheless, monitoring such asteroids is crucial to prevent any potential future mishaps.
Asteroid News
NASA released a summary of the fifth biennial Planetary Defense Interagency Tabletop Exercise, organized with FEMA and the U.S. Department of State. This exercise tested national preparedness for a potential asteroid or comet impact. While no significant threats are currently known, these hypothetical scenarios provide valuable insights into risks and response strategies.
Participants responded to a scenario involving a newly detected asteroid with a 72% chance of hitting Earth in 14 years, with delayed follow-up observations due to the asteroid’s position behind the Sun. Held in April at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the exercise included nearly 100 U.S. and international representatives.
It was the first exercise to use data from NASA’s DART mission, which showed a kinetic impactor could alter an asteroid’s path. NASA is also developing the NEO Surveyor, an infrared space telescope set to launch in June 2028, to better detect potential threats.
