NASA announced approach of five large asteroids to Earth
Five asteroids are currently heading towards Earth (photo: Freepik)
Five large asteroids will pass by Earth between September 6 and 12. Their sizes range from 8 to 52 meters. The closest one to our planet will be an asteroid named QF6, which will pass at a distance of only 1.5 million kilometers, according to NASA.
What is known about asteroids
An asteroid the size of a house, named JA5, will be the first to approach, passing by the Earth on September 6. It will pass at a distance of 5.11 million kilometers from Earth. It was first observed in 2021, and according to NASA, this asteroid is approximately 18 meters in size, comparable to the size of a house.
Two asteroids will pass by Earth on September 8. One, named QC5, is about the size of an airplane, with dimensions of approximately 25 meters. The other, named GE, is about the size of a bus, measuring 8 meters. The airplane-sized asteroid was first observed in 2023 and will pass within 4 million kilometers of Earth. The second asteroid was first spotted in 2020 and will pass at a distance of 5.7 million kilometers from the planet.
The second airplane-sized asteroid, QF6, was first discovered in 2023 and measures approximately 52 meters in size. It will pass closest to Earth, at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers, on September 10th.
The fifth asteroid, also the size of a bus, with dimensions of 21 meters, will pass by Earth on September 12th. It was discovered in 2020 and is named RT2. This week, it will pass at a distance of approximately 2.66 million kilometers from Earth.
Do they pose a threat to Earth
According to astronomers, none of the asteroids approaching Earth this week are considered a threat.
Objects are considered "potentially hazardous" when they approach within 7.4 million kilometers of Earth, but they must also be larger than 149 meters in size. None of the asteroids expected this week will be that large.
How NASA tracks these asteroids
NASA tracks asteroids and comets using the Asteroid Information Panel. This panel displays the date of the close approach, the approximate diameter of the object, its relative size, and the distance from Earth for each encounter.
Scientists consider asteroids with a diameter of over 1 km to be very dangerous to Earth. Such celestial bodies are referred to as "planet killers."
