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NASA issues sudden alert as massive asteroid comes too close to Earth at scary speed

NASA issues sudden alert as massive asteroid comes too close to Earth at scary speed

Representational image of asteroids.

A sudden asteroid alert has been issued by NASA regarding a near-Earth object after they detected that space rock 2024 PK2 will make its closest approach on August 11.

The 83-foot asteroid is as big as a small building and is set to pass by Earth at a distance of 795,000 miles.

The asteroid is part of the Aten group, which is a group of asteroids that frequently intersect Earth's orbit.

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The asteroid will approach Earth at a scary speed of approximately 19,500 miles per hour (31,380 kilometres per hour).

Although the distance appears vast, it is very close in astronomical terms which is why it becomes imperative for NASA to monitor these near-Earth objects (NEOs) like 2024 PK2.

The distance between the asteroid and Earth is three times the distance between the Moon and the planet which makes the space rock a near-Earth object which needs to be tracked by NASA because of its proximity to the planet.

How is NASA tracking near-Earth asteroids?

NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs).

Even though many of the NEOs don't come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention.

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Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks.

(With inputs from agencies)