‘Potentially Hazardous’ Asteroid Passes Earth Tomorrow: How To See It
An 890-foot asteroid will pass by Earth on Friday, coming within 1.7 million miles of the planet—around seven times further than the Moon—and traveling at a speed of about 11 miles per second, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Astronomers Monitor 'Potentially Hazardous' Asteroid Passing Earth
NASA scientists are closely monitoring a football stadium-sized asteroid that will pass by Earth on Friday. The asteroid, named Asteroid 2008 OS7, measures 890 feet and will come within 1.7 million miles of the planet. Although this is about seven times further than the Moon, NASA labels objects that come within 4.6 million miles of Earth and are larger than 150 meters as a 'potentially hazardous object'.
Asteroid 2008 OS7 travels at a speed of about 11 miles per second and has an orbital period of 962 days. While it will not be visible to the naked eye, NASA offers a virtual asteroid tracker for those who want to observe its path through the solar system in real-time. Additionally, the Virtual Telescope Project will be livestreaming the event for interested viewers.
Background on Asteroids and NASA's Efforts
Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun and are remnants from the formation of the solar system billions of years ago. Asteroid 2008 OS7 is classified as an Apollo-class asteroid, one of 18,232 asteroids that can cross into Earth's orbit. NASA has been taking the threat of asteroid impacts more seriously in recent years.
In 2022, NASA conducted its first Double Asteroid Deflection Test which successfully changed the orbit of an asteroid. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was sent to study an asteroid called Bennu and collected samples from it. These samples were brought back to Earth in September 2023. The scientists involved in the mission believe Bennu has a one-in-2,700 chance of colliding with a Texas-sized portion of Earth in 2182. Ongoing research is being conducted to better understand and prepare for this potential event.
Other Asteroids Passing by Earth
In addition to Asteroid 2008 OS7, two other asteroids will also make close approaches to Earth on the same day. Asteroid 2024 BJ3, measuring 70 feet, will come within 533,000 miles of Earth. Asteroid 2024 BP1, measuring 170 feet, will pass by at a distance of 2.1 million miles from Earth.
While these asteroids do not pose immediate danger, their close approaches serve as a reminder of the ongoing presence of celestial objects in our solar system. Monitoring and studying these asteroids help scientists improve our understanding of their behavior and potential effects on Earth.
