An asteroid as large as a stadium is moving towards Earth and will soon fly by our planet. Its massive size and the distance at which it will travel mean that it is considered potentially dangerous. The latest warning has been issued by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of its Asteroid Watch programme. Asteroid 2011 AM24 is a whopping 880 feet in size and will make its closest approach to Earth on July 26. It will be 4,010,000 million miles from us at its nearest point. It is moving at a relative speed of 22320 km/hour and has been classified by NASA as a near-Earth object (NEO) and belongs to the Apollo group of these space bodies.&nbsp;

It is a big asteroid and is coming pretty close as well. But does it pose any threat to Earth? Going by NASA's criteria for classifying Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), it does. The space agency says that asteroids that won't get closer than 4,650,000 million miles to Earth or are smaller than about 140 metres, that is around 460 feet, don't pose a threat. But the 2011 AM24 is 880 feet and is travelling a lot closer than deemed safe.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, July 26 will also see another asteroid hurtling towards us. While this one isn't as big in size, it will come extremely close to us. Asteroid 2024 MH1 is 91 feet long and also belongs to the Apollo group of these space rocks. It will be 1,115,952 million miles from Earth at its closest point and is moving at a relative velocity of 20,916 km/hr. This one will be even closer to us but is extremely small.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-apophis-might-experience-landslides-when-it-crosses-earth-experts-say-741643">Landslides on asteroid? Apophis might witness a few when it crosses Earth, experts say</a>

<h2> 
Why does NASA monitor asteroids?</h2>

 
Asteroids can cause major destruction to planets, as witnessed in the past. NASA regularly monitors them to keep a check on those space bodies that might threaten the safety of Earth. Besides protecting the planet against any such scenario, monitoring them also lets NASA study these celestial visitors. By learning about their movement and travel patterns, scientists can devise ways to create safety plans in case a potentially hazardous asteroid threatens Earth.&nbsp;

The DART is one such mission where scientists worked to understand if they can hit an asteroid before it strikes us. As part of the mission, scientists hit an asteroid to better understand how an asteroid can be deflected in the future. The DART mission broke the asteroid into several pieces, many of which are likely to hit Mars.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

An asteroid as large as a stadium is moving towards Earth and will soon fly by our planet. Its massive size and the distance at which it will travel mean that it is considered potentially dangerous.

An asteroid as large as a stadium is moving towards Earth and will soon fly by our planet. Its massive size and the distance at which it will travel mean that it is considered potentially dangerous. The latest warning has been issued by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of its Asteroid Watch programme. Asteroid 2011 AM24 is a whopping 880 feet in size and will make its closest approach to Earth on July 26. It will be 4,010,000 million miles from us at its nearest point. It is moving at a relative speed of 22320 km/hour and has been classified by NASA as a near-Earth object (NEO) and belongs to the Apollo group of these space bodies. It is a big asteroid and is coming pretty close as well. But does it pose any threat to Earth? Going by NASA's criteria for classifying Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), it does. The space agency says that asteroids that won't get closer than 4,650,000 million miles to Earth or are smaller than about 140 metres, that is around 460 feet, don't pose a threat. But the 2011 AM24 is 880 feet and is travelling a lot closer than deemed safe. Meanwhile, July 26 will also see another asteroid hurtling towards us. While this one isn't as big in size, it will come extremely close to us. Asteroid 2024 MH1 is 91 feet long and also belongs to the Apollo group of these space rocks. It will be 1,115,952 million miles from Earth at its closest point and is moving at a relative velocity of 20,916 km/hr. This one will be even closer to us but is extremely small. Also Read: Landslides on asteroid? Apophis might witness a few when it crosses Earth, experts say Why does NASA monitor asteroids? Asteroids can cause major destruction to planets, as witnessed in the past. NASA regularly monitors them to keep a check on those space bodies that might threaten the safety of Earth. Besides protecting the planet against any such scenario, monitoring them also lets NASA study these celestial visitors. By learning about their movement and travel patterns, scientists can devise ways to create safety plans in case a potentially hazardous asteroid threatens Earth. The DART is one such mission where scientists worked to understand if they can hit an asteroid before it strikes us. As part of the mission, scientists hit an asteroid to better understand how an asteroid can be deflected in the future. The DART mission broke the asteroid into several pieces, many of which are likely to hit Mars.

NASA warns of 880ft asteroid that will come dangerously close to Earth this week

earth-asteroids

Earth Asteroids, News on Earth Asteroids, stories on Earth Asteroids, articles on Earth Asteroids, Earth Asteroids stories at Wion, Earth Asteroids news, Earth Asteroids latest news

earth asteroids

NASA warns of 880ft asteroid that will come dangerously close to Earth this week