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A majority of asteroids come from the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter after they are dislodged from their original orbit. These asteroids exhibit an elliptical orbit and often have erratic rotations, tumbling through space. Can these monster rocks strike planets? NASA says that the gravitational forces exerted by the planets in our solar system can influence their trajectory, causing them to move unpredictably toward the inner solar system, including Earth. To monitor these dangerous asteroids, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory maintains constant watch.
Currently, NASA has raised concerns about an asteroid that is hurtling toward Earth, and it is anticipated to pass dangerously close. The asteroid in question is named 2023 LL, measuring 110-foot in diameter, and NASA has disclosed that it is expected to approach Earth today, on June 10. NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) red flags all upcoming asteroids which make a close distance of 4.6 million miles or 7.5 million kilometers near Earth and have a size bigger than 150 meters. If an asteroid gets within this distance, the space agency identifies it as potentially hazardous and issues an alert.
So, does the 110-foot wide Asteroid 2023 LL pose a threat to Earth? Here’s what NASA’s assessment says.
Asteroid 2023 LL details
As per the asteroid tracking data, NASA says that Asteroid 2023 LL will fly past the Earth today at a close distance of just 1.31 million miles. It is coming at a sizzling speed of 49095 kmph, NASA’s CNEOS data revealed.
Astronomers had discovered this asteroid known as 2023 LL just recently – May 26, 2023. This asteroid is classified as belonging to the Apollo group. According to Sky.org, it completes one orbit around the Sun every 592 days. Fortunately, it has not been categorized as a potentially hazardous asteroid. However, given the fact that it is expected to make a perilously close approach, it is crucial to maintain a constant watch on this colossal space rock to prevent any potential mishap.
Asteroid Tracking Technology
To detect this type of danger well in time, NASA has established the NEO Observations Program, which is tasked with finding, tracking, and characterizing NEOs, and identifying those that may pose a hazard to Earth. Ground-based telescopes and NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft are currently used to locate NEOs.
Initially named as WISE (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) at its launch in December 2009, the space telescope’s mission was to survey the sky in infrared to detect stars, asteroids, and faint galaxies. The telescope fulfilled its mission successfully by February 2011. Later in December 2013, the telescope was re-purposed as NEOWISE to study NEOs, asteroids, and comets after being taken out of hibernation.
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