Skyscraper-sized Asteroid Will Narrowly Miss Earth, NASA Warns

Photo byThe New York Public LibraryonUnsplash

NASA has issued a warning about a skyscraper-sized asteroid. The asteroid, named 2024 ON, is expected to narrowly miss Earth on Tuesday. Classified as "potentially hazardous," the asteroid is set to past earth at an incredible speed of 19,685 miles per hour—that’s approximately 25 times the speed of sound.

The space rock, with an estimated diameter of 220 to 480 meters, is massive. However, despite its intimidating size and speed, NASA maintains that this asteroid does not pose any immediate danger to Earth. (“Asteroid warning issued by Nasa | gbnews.com”)

An asteroid is classified as "potentially hazardous" if it comes within 4.65 million miles of Earth and is larger than 140 meters in diameter.

2024 ON will make its closest approach at about twice the distance between Earth and the Moon—roughly 620,000 miles—placing it well beyond any serious threat. Still, it’s classified as a near-Earth object (NEO) and is under constant observation by NASA. (“'Potentially hazardous' asteroid the size of a skyscraper to skim past Earth on Tuesday | livescience.com”)

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observation Program monitors these objects to track their trajectories, alert the public of potential risks, and improve planetary defense strategies.

The agency explains that “NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been influenced by the gravitational pull of nearby planets, allowing them to enter Earth's orbital neighborhood. Most of these objects are remnants of the early solar system, formed over 4.6 billion years ago.” NASA

Though impressive in size, 2024 ON will be too small to observe with the naked eye or an average telescope.

Despite the warning, NASA assures the public that near-Earth events are common, and in the name of planetary defense, it is committed to tracking these objects. (“NASA’s Asteroid Alert: Huge 720-foot rock approaching Earth | moneycontrol.com”)