Asteroid to come closer to Earth than the Moon! NASA reveals shocking data

Most asteroids can be found in the region of the solar system located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, known as the asteroid belt. However, some of these space rocks also have orbits that bring them closer to Earth. In recent years, there have been several close calls with asteroids that have passed close to our planet. However, due to the early detection and monitoring of these asteroids with the help of tech instruments, scientists have been able to determine that they pose no danger to Earth.

NASA has now revealed that a similar asteroid is all set to pass the planet and it will do so at a distance closer than the Moon!

Information about Asteroid 2023 LZ

NASA has warned that an asteroid named Asteroid 2023 LZ is rapidly moving towards Earth and is expected to make its closest approach to the planet closely today, June 14. This space rock is already on its way towards us, travelling at a staggering speed of 49054 kilometers per hour. The asteroid will pass Earth at an extremely close distance of just 317,000 kilometers.

If you compare, the Moon is located about 382,500 kilometers from Earth. This makes the Asteroid 2023 LZ particularly special, as it will pass Earth at a distance closer than the Moon! It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. They are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

While this asteroid is not huge in size with a width of 59 feet, a similar-sized space rock exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in 2013 and caused damage to 8000 buildings, leaving over 1000 people injured.

NASA’s Sentry II

NASA has a new impact monitoring system in place which uses an algorithm called Sentry-II to calculate the impact risk of Near-Earth Objects. NASA can track the orbital path of the asteroid using this infrared data and can even predict its orbit years into the future. As of now, nearly 28,000 near-Earth asteroids have been discovered using various tech instruments which track objects in the sky.