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NASA, ESA and other space agencies have a suite of ground and space-based telescopes and observatories to track and monitor asteroids. Despite the presence of these technological marvels, an asteroid snuck past all of them! The asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 NT1, made its closest approach to Earth on July 13 when it entered Earth’s 60,000-mile radius, which is 4 times closer than the Moon! It was not a small rock either, as scientists later revealed it was nearly 200 feet wide, about 4 times the size of the Chelyabinsk asteroid that caused massive damage in Russia. It was at last found by the Asteroid Terrestrials-Impacts Last Alert System (ATLAS) observatory in South Africa on July 15.
In a new development, NASA has revealed that an asteroid is set for its closest approach to Earth today, October 12.
Asteroid 2023 TV3: Details of close approach
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has designated this space rock as Asteroid 2023 TV3. It is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today, October 12. The asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance four times closer than the Moon! It will pass Earth at 83353 kilometers, making it one of the closest asteroid approaches of 2023.
It is rushing toward Earth, travelling at a speed of about 51196 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than the speed of a hypersonic ballistic missile!
This will be the first time this asteroid has been observed approaching Earth, according to NASA CNEOS. However, as of today, no close approach in the near future is expected.
Other information
Asteroid 2023 TV3 belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s. These asteroids are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.
In terms of size, the asteroid is between 26 feet and 59 feet wide, making it almost as big as a house. It is the same size as the Chelyabinsk asteroid which injured 1400 people and damaged 7000 buildings when it exploded over the Russian city in 2013.
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