New Delhi

If asteroids made a whooshing sound every time one passed by our home planet, we'll have a highway-like scene in our immediate space neighbourhood. Asteroids are passing through inner solar system all the time, at least, more frequently than we can casually imagine. We can of course, be more than happy for the asteroids to whoosh past Earth and not slam directly into it. This is why space agencies across the world, NASA and more, have their lenses trained at asteroids in the Earth's vicinity.

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So the latest one under the scanner is Asteroid 2020 KT4. This asteroid belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. These are Near-Earth Asteroids. The asteroid has come in Earth's vicinity right in the holiday season. It is hurtling through space at a huge speed of 25,000 kilometres per hour. This makes it faster than even Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM).

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NASA says that this is not the first time Asteroid 2020 KT4 has come near Earth. It first said hello on October 4, 1906. At that time, it made a fly-by at a distance of about 72 million kilometres from Earth. After his travel past Earth in the Christmas season, it will again come close to Earth on July 8, 2024. 

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The asteroid is the size of a big aircraft, it is about 250 feet wide.

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Is there danger to us?

The asteroid has not been classified as Potentially Hazardous Object. It does not pose a threat to Earth.

We may normally dismiss asteroids as mere space rocks but they may have performed greater function. Scientists think that ingredients required for life on Earth were actually 'delivered' to Earth by asteroids and even comets.

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But the mode of 'delivery' of anything via asteroids may have involved direct collissions. Considering this, its probably good for us that such a delivery service has stopped, at least till now.

(With inputs from agencies)