Another asteroid, 2011 MW1, is coming too close to Earth at a speed of 17,900 mph (28,946 km/h). NASA has issued an alert regarding this asteroid. 2011 MW1 is an Apollo-class asteroid that is about 375 feet (115 meters) long. According to NASA’s CNEOS data, it will travel only 2.4 million miles (3.8 million kilometers) at its closest approach to Earth. It is expected to fly by Earth on July 25.
2011 MW1 is a giant asteroid with an orbit close to Earth’s, but not too close. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has designated it a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) because of its distance from Earth, but it is not considered a “potentially hazardous asteroid.” NASA has recognized the existence of up to 35,000 NEOs. To be classified as a PHA, an asteroid must be larger than 460 feet and within 7.5 million miles of Earth’s orbit.
The size of this asteroid is about that of a skyscraper. Although its size may be alarming, the asteroid poses no threat to Earth according to NASA. At the same time, close monitoring is being carried out on the trajectory and movement of this space rock.
Asteroids, often called minor planets, are remnants of the early solar system. Unlike planets, they are much smaller and orbit primarily the Sun. The majority of these asteroids are found in the main asteroid belt, which lies between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. As of July 2024, there are 1,385,217 known asteroids, according to JPL’s Solar System Dynamics website. These celestial bodies provide valuable information about the conditions and processes that shaped our solar system billions of years ago.
Asteroid Monitoring
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (NEOS) is responsible for characterizing the orbits of all near-Earth objects and, once the system is established, predicting their approaches to Earth and their impact. NEOs are asteroids or comets whose orbits are less than 120 miles from the Sun and therefore can pass close to Earth’s orbit, posing a risk.
NASA has several observatories that work specifically on collecting information on tracking asteroids. These include PAN-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, NASA’s NEOWISE mission, and the new NEO Surveyor, which have provided incredibly useful information to scientists over the years. There are many planetary radar initiatives, such as the Goldstone Solar System Radar Group, which complements NASA’s NEO observation program. Alongside this, space agencies are creating technologies to deal with any potential threats from celestial bodies such as the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) or simply the DART mission. This was the first-ever mission dedicated to studying and demonstrating asteroid deflection by altering the trajectory of the asteroid using a kinetic impact. On September 26, 2022, DART successfully altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimporphos. The ISS, a collaborative project involving NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency), serves as a space laboratory where international crews conduct research and experiments in microgravity. Did you know that NASA made the first manned moon landing on July 20, 1969, with the Apollo 11 mission. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the moon, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module. Did you know that NASA develops robots and advanced technologies for space exploration, including Mars rovers, robotic arms on the ISS. It has also launched missions like the James Webb Space Telescope in the past.
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