Although one or two asteroids usually pass by Earth each day, at least 4 asteroids made close approaches to Earth yesterday! Another asteroid is on its way to Earth today, and it’s a big one. This asteroid has enormous destructive potential due to its sheer size and speed, and could potentially wreak havoc if slightly off course. To track such asteroids, NASA uses NASA’s Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer to act as a survey telescope and scan the sky for near-Earth objects. The space agency then uses its ground-based radar to gather precise data about the asteroid’s path and characteristics.
Key details about asteroid 2022 UN21
NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office has issued a warning about an asteroid called Asteroid 2022 UN21. The 56-foot-wide asteroid is expected to fly past Earth today, Nov. 7, at a distance of 3 million kilometers. The asteroid is already on its way to Earth, traveling at an amazing speed of 41940 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than a rocket! According to the-sky.org, Asteroid 2022 UN21 belongs to the Apollo asteroid group. It was discovered a few days ago, on October 28th. This asteroid takes 868 days to complete a trip around the Sun during which its maximum distance from the Sun is 400 million km and the closest distance is 133 million km.
NASA’s program for observing and classifying asteroids
NASA has established a Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), managed by the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. 0.05 Earth AU (5 million miles or 8 million kilometers) and large enough to reach the Earth’s surface – that is, larger than about 30 to 50 meters.
