NASA has warned that a 720-foot asteroid will pass close to Earth tomorrow.
Asteroid Asteroid 2024 ON, approximately 220 meters (720 feet) in diameter, will pass by Earth today, September 17, at a distance of 997,793 kilometers (628,000 miles) – more than 2.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. While the proximity poses no threat, the asteroid’s speed, traveling at 40,233 km/h (25,000 mph), has drawn attention. Discovered on July 27 by the ATLAS Sky Survey, 2024 ON has captured the interest of scientists and space enthusiasts alike.
For those eager to witness this cosmic event, the asteroid’s approach will be streamed live on September 15 at 19:30 UTC (1:00 a.m. on September 16) via the Virtual Telescope website.
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, is keeping a close eye on the asteroid. Using optical telescopes, scientists are studying the asteroid’s size, shape, and composition. Should any potential hazards occur in the future, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is prepared to take action, including deflecting asteroids if necessary. However, NASA says 2024 ON poses no current threat.
NASA reports that close encounters with asteroids like this occur roughly every decade. Other asteroids, including the bus-sized 2024 RQ5 and the airplane-sized 2024 RM10, are also passing close to Earth today without any problems, underscoring the similarity of such events in our solar system.
How does NASA track asteroids?
NASA tracks asteroids using a combination of ground-based and space-based telescopes, as well as sophisticated data analysis methods. The primary system for detecting and monitoring near-Earth objects (NEOs), including asteroids, is NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations (NEOO) Program, part of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). Here’s how it works:
1. Ground-based optical telescopes
NASA collaborates with a network of ground-based telescopes around the world to continually scan the sky for NEOs. Some of the main telescopes used for this include:
- Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System): A powerful telescope in Hawaii dedicated to detecting potentially hazardous asteroids and comets.
- Catalina Sky Survey (CSS): Located in Arizona, this survey has discovered thousands of NEOs.
- ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System): A telescope system in Hawaii designed to find asteroids that could impact Earth, especially smaller ones on short-term trajectories.
These telescopes take repeated images of the sky, tracking objects that move relative to background stars, indicating they are closer to Earth.
2. Space telescopes
NASA uses space-based infrared telescopes to complement ground-based observations:
NEOWISE is a space-based infrared telescope designed to detect asteroids based on their thermal signatures. Because asteroids emit infrared radiation, space-based infrared telescopes can find objects that might be too faint to detect with visible-light telescopes.
3. Data processing and orbit calculation
Once telescopes detect an asteroid, scientists use complex algorithms to calculate its orbit and predict its future trajectory. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) operates the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), where they track and calculate the orbits of known NEOs, assessing whether they pose a future threat to Earth.
4. Radar observations
For closer objects, NASA uses radar systems to gather detailed information about an asteroid’s size, shape, rotation, and exact path. The Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the Arecibo Observatory (before its collapse) provided high-resolution data on asteroids during their flybys of Earth.
5. Public databases and tracking systems
NASA also provides public tools such as the Sentry System, which continuously monitors the orbit of known NEOs and provides a list of any possible future impacts on Earth.
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