A 260-foot-wide asteroid will fly by Earth today, confirms NASA
The Earth's tryst with asteroids seems unlikely to end anytime soon. US space agency NASA has revealed that a massive 260-feet wide asteroid designated 2022 RW is speeding toward us and will fly by today. The distance that the space rock will fly past the pale blue dot will be too close for comfort. However, we are not in danger.
Why does this story matter?
A barrage of asteroids is flying past our planet this year. Notably, over 35 of them went by us last month alone. If the flight paths of some of them are altered toward Earth, the consequences can be catastrophic. Hence, it is very important to find a way to safely neutralize them before they can collide with the our habitat.
A look at asteroid 2022 RW
The 2022 RW is 260-foot-wide and is heading toward us at a mind-boggling speed of 40,212km/h. The rock from outer space will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 1.12 million kilometers. This will make it one of the closest asteroids to pass by us this year. However, NASA claims there is no danger despite its close proximity to us.
These asteroids flew past the Earth recently
Over the last few days, many asteroids flew past the Earth. They include the 110-feet 2022 QZ6, the 140-feet wide QX1, the 2017 BU, and the 2020 QW3. The 2015 QH3, 2022 QQ4, 2022 QP3, and 2022 QX4 were also notable ones.
What are asteroids?
The rocky airless remnants from the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago are called asteroids. They orbit the Sun in two groups, one ahead of Jupiter and the other behind. They differ in shapes and sizes. Unlike most asteroids, the largest one called Ceres is spherical. It orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.
