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Earth has been bombarded with environmental phenomena such as solar storms, solar flares, and earthquakes while also witnessing countless asteroids pass by at close distances. These close approaches have served as a reminder of the threat posed by these space rocks and highlighted the importance of tracking and studying them. Apart from keeping a check on asteroid impacts, scientists also study asteroids to gain insight into the early solar system and the conditions that existed when the planets were forming. Asteroids can also provide valuable resources such as water, metals, and other minerals.
To track asteroids, NASA uses telescopes such as the Pans-STARRS1 located in Maui, Hawaii, and the Catalina Sky Survey situated near Tucson, Arizona to conduct surveys. Additionally, NEOWISE, NASA’s space-based observatory, has identified hundreds of asteroids by scanning the skies with near-infrared wavelengths of light from its orbit around Earth’s poles.
With the help of such advanced technologies, NASA has identified an asteroid that is hurtling towards Earth today.
Asteroid 2023 LD details
NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The organization has issued a warning against an asteroid designated as Asteroid 2023 LD. This Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today, June 9. Whilst this asteroid will come very close to the planet, it is not expected to impact the surface. According to NASA, Asteroid 2023 LD will pass by Earth at a distance of just 950,000 kilometers!
It is already on its way towards the planet, travelling at a blistering speed of 32763 kilometers per hour. According to NASA, Asteroid 2023 LD is almost 59 feet wide and although it isn’t a planet-killer, it is important to note that the asteroid which exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk was also just 59 feet wide. When it exploded, it damaged nearly 8000 buildings and left over 1000 people injured.
Furthermore, it belongs to the Amor group of Near-Earth Asteroids which are Earth-approaching near-Earth asteroids with orbits exterior to Earth but interior to Mars’, named after asteroid 1221 Amor.
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