Nasa warns against asteroid hurtling to Earth at scary speed
Technology
Asteroid, which measures 180-feet in size, will be making its closest approach to Earth on July 21
(Web Desk) - Nasa has issued an alert against asteroid 2024 MG1 - which belongs to a class of asteroids known as the Apollo group which have their Earth-crossing orbits - and has been hurtling towards our planet at a scary speed of 33,600 km per hour.
The asteroid, which measures 180-feet (55-metre) in size, will be making its closest approach to Earth on July 21, 2024.
The asteroid is expected to come within the distance of 4.2 million km.
In astronomical terms, there seems to be a significant distance between the asteroid and Earth, however, such close encounters always raise concerns regarding their potential impacts.
Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and their orbits intersect the orbit of Earth. The group was given a name after the scientists discovered the first asteroid of this group called 1862 Apollo.
Such asteroids carry the potential risks if their orbits intersect with the orbit of the Earth closely.
According to scientists, if an asteroid like 2024 MG1 collides with Earth, there will be various consequences depending on its size, speed, and composition.
Considering the asteroid's estimated size of 180 feet, its impact can lead to localised devastation, however, such occurrences are doubtful as the chances of 2024 MG1 colliding with Earth are very low.
Space agencies and scientists keep monitoring such asteroids to timely predict their movements and take the required action.
Nasa’s Monitoring and Response NASA along with other space agencies has been tracking asteroids like 2024 MG1 with the use of telescopes and radar systems.
While monitoring the asteroids, scientists are able to predict their path and adopt various mitigation strategies which range from deflection missions to evacuation plans decided for potentially affected areas.
