• Alert! NASA issues warning as massive asteroid approaches Earth with scary speed

    Sci & Tech
    Alert! NASA issues warning as massive asteroid approaches Earth with scary speed

    The
    83-foot-wide asteroid, approximately the size of a small building, will pass at
    a distance...



     



    Digital Desk:
    NASA has issued an asteroid alert as space rock 2024 PK2
    is set to
    make its closest approach to Earth on August 11. The 83-foot-wide asteroid,
    approximately the size of a small building, will pass at a distance of 795,000
    miles. Despite this
    distance seeming
    vast
    , it is relatively close in
    astronomical terms, prompting heightened monitoring.



     



    2024 PK2 is classified as a near-Earth object (NEO) and
    belongs to the Aten group, known for crossing
    Earth’s orbit. Traveling
    at an alarming speed of approximately 19,500 miles per hour (31,380 kilometers
    per hour)
    , the asteroid’s
    proximity is significant enough for
    NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) to closely observe it.



     



    Although 2024 PK2 will be three times farther from Earth
    than the Moon, its approach
    is a
    reminder
    of the potential risks posed by NEOs. NASA continues to track such asteroids, especially
    those larger than 460 feet (140 meters), to assess any impact threats and
    ensure planetary safety.