NASA warns of a 380-ft asteroid moving towards Earth at a breakneck speed of about 29,000 Km/hr

Another asteroid 2011 MW1 is hastening too close to earth at a speed of 28,946 km/h. NASA has issued an alarm regarding this asteroid. 2011 MW1 is an Apollo-class Asteroid which is approximately 380 feet in size. According to NASA's CNEOS data, it will be just 2.4 million miles when it makes its closest approach to Earth. It is estimated to flyby earth on July 25.
2011 MW1 is a giant of an asteroid whose orbit approaches the earth’s orbit but not too closely.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has characterized it as a Near Earth Asteroid(NEA) due to its distance from the earth but is not considered under the category of ‘Potentially Hazardous Asteroids(PHA’s). NASA has recognized the existence of not more than 35,000 NEO’s. For an asteroid to be classified as PHA's, they should be more than 460-feet in size and should come within 7.5 million kilometers of earth's orbit. The designation PHA does not necessarily mean that will impact the earth in the near foreseeable future rather it is just that due to the proximity and size of the asteroid one needs to pay closer attention to it.
The size of this asteroid is approximately similar to the size of an enormous skyscraper. While the size might be alarming, the asteroid poses no threat to Earth as per NASA, at the same time a close watch is being kept on the trajectory and motion of this space rock.
Asteroids, often referred to as minor planets, are remnants from the early solar system’s formation. Unlike planets, they are much smaller and primarily orbit the sun. The majority of these asteroids are found in the main asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. As of July 2024, there are 1,385,217 known asteroids, according to the JPL’s Solar System Dynamics website. And there are more than 35,000 recognized NEO's and there are 1,500 PHA's recognized, as per International Astronomical Union. These celestial bodies provide valuable insights into the conditions and processes that shaped our solar system billions of years ago.
Apollo Asteroids
Apollo asteroids are the group of asteroids that are very close to the earth. They are classified under as NEO's. They are named after the first NEA found in 1862- Apollo. The discovery was made by Karl Reinmuth, a German astronomer. However there are more classification of NEO known as Atira, Aten and Amor.
Asteroid Watch
NASA’s Centre for Near Earth Object Studies(CNEOS) is responsible for characterizing the orbits of all Near Earth Objects and with the system established-predicts its approaches to earth and impact assessment. NEO’s are asteroids or comets whose orbits are within the distance of 120 miles from the Sun and hence can fly by earth’s orbital neighborhood, posing a risk.
NASA has various observatories that specifically work towards collecting asteroid tracking information. Some of them include- PAN- STARRS , the Catalina Sky Survey, NASA’s NEOWISE mission and the new NEO Surveyor which have offered incredibly helpful information to scientists over the years. There are many radar planetary initiatives, like Goldstone Solar System Radar Group which complement NASA’s NEO Observations Program. Along with that space agencies are creating technologies to tackle any potential threat from celestial bodies like-Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)or, simply the DART mission. It was the first ever mission which was dedicated to study and demonstrate asteroid deflection by changing the path of asteroid with the help of kinetic impact. On September 26,2022, DART successfully altered Asteroid Dimporphos's orbit.

The ISS, a collaborative project involving NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), serves as a space laboratory where international crews conduct research and experiments in microgravity.
Did you know that NASA achieved the first manned moon landing on July 20, 1969, with the Apollo 11 mission. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the moon, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module.
Do you know NASA develops advanced robotics and technologies for space exploration, including the Mars rovers, robotic arms on the ISS. It has launched missions like the James Webb Space Telescope in past too.
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