Space is a hostile place. It is full of very large and fast celestial bodies moving in random directions. And some of them are a direct threat to Earth. Just a few days ago, an asteroid exploded in the sky in Montana, USA. This is why space agencies like NASA have doubled down on planetary defense measures. Last year, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was successfully conducted and now, NASA has begun construction of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor space telescope that will scan the inner solar system in the infrared spectrum. So that any possible search can be made. Dangerous Asteroids And now, NASA has revealed that a giant 226-foot-wide asteroid is about to come dangerously close to our planet. The danger is that if it gets trapped by the Earth’s gravity, there could be a huge disaster.
Great Asteroid Headed to Earth today.
NASA has reported about the asteroid. We Important information about what to expect. The asteroid is named 2023 CC1 and was first spotted on January 25 this year, according to the Small Body Database. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) website tells us that the asteroid is about to come within 5.7 million kilometers of Earth. Although this may seem a great distance to some, the center is close at hand Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) data may shock you. According to them, this asteroid is traveling at a speed of 43,776 km per hour!
However, NASA’s current forecast states that the asteroid will likely make a safe passage across the planet. Nevertheless, for precautionary reasons, the asteroid is being monitored by the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) telescope. This is a tech marvel. Space telescope which is tasked with monitoring all nearby space rocks in the inner solar system.
Get to know the NEOWISE telescope.
It is very interesting to understand how this technology actually works. Ever since NASA became aware of the near-Earth object (NEO) threat, it has devoted itself to tracking and monitoring as many space rocks as possible in the inner solar system. Using the capabilities of JPL and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, the US space agency collects data on more than 20,000 asteroids.
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