A 90-Foot Asteroid, Travelling At 29,961 kmph, Will Zoom Past Earth Today

The 2024 KA1 has been categorised wrong the Apollo radical of asteroids.

A 99-foot wide asteroid, named 2024 KA1, volition alert adjacent to Earth connected Saturday. This celestial visitant is travelling astatine a velocity of 29,961 kmph, and volition marque its closest attack to Earth astatine 16:36 IST. 

According to NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid volition travel wrong a region of 1.8 cardinal km from Earth. While this region whitethorn look considerable, successful astronomical terms, it qualifies arsenic a adjacent approach. 

No contiguous threat

The 2024 KA1 has been categorised wrong the Apollo radical of asteroids, and contempt its seemingly immense size, experts accidental that it poses nary nonstop menace to satellite Earth.

The immense bulk of near-Earth objects (NEOs) bash not airs immoderate contiguous danger. However, determination is simply a subset of asteroids, known arsenic perchance hazardous asteroids (PHAs), that necessitate much scrutiny. PHAs are defined by their size, exceeding 460 feet, and their proximity to Earth's orbit, approaching 7.5 cardinal km. 

NASA and its planetary web of observatories (such arsenic Pan-STARRS and the Catalina Sky Survey), including some nonrecreational and amateur astronomers, continuously show NEOs, looking for imaginable risks. The information collected from these observations assistance way the routes of asteroids similar 2024 KA1. 

Radar projects similar the Goldstone Solar System Radar Group astatine NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) besides lend invaluable insights into the creation and question of NEOs.

Upcoming asteroids

Over the adjacent fewer days, Earth volition witnesser respective adjacent encounters with asteroids. Following the 2024 KA1, asteroid 2024 LC, astir 84 feet successful size, volition walk by astatine a region of astir 4,703,168 km.

Then, connected June 11, 2024, 2 much asteroids volition marque their adjacent approaches. Asteroid 2024 LD, measuring astir 67 feet, volition walk wrong astir 4,635,552 km of Earth and asteroid 2024 CR9, with an approximate size of 1,400 feet, volition travel wrong astir 7,371,520 km of our planet.

These encounters are besides not expected to airs immoderate contiguous menace to Earth.