NASA Alert: Giant Asteroid, Size of Statue of Liberty, Races Toward Earth at 65,215 km/h

NASA has issued a warning about a massive asteroid named 2024 MT1, which is speeding toward Earth at 65,215 km/h.

This asteroid, approximately 260 feet in diameter and comparable in size to the Statue of Liberty, is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on July 8.

Asteroid 2024 MT1 was first detected by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Programme, which tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets that come near Earth. The program uses various ground-based telescopes and radar systems to monitor these objects.

Scientists are concerned about asteroid 2024 MT1 due to its size and speed. However, NASA has stated that there is currently no threat of collision with Earth.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, has been closely monitoring the asteroid’s trajectory. According to JPL’s Asteroid Watch dashboard, which provides real-time data on the asteroid’s position, speed, and distance from Earth, 2024 MT1 will pass by at a distance of approximately 937,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers).

Large asteroids like 2024 MT1 are considered potentially hazardous because of the significant damage they could cause if they collided with Earth. Such an impact could result in widespread devastation, massive explosions, fires, and tsunamis.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is actively working on strategies to mitigate such threats. The PDCO collaborates with international space agencies and research institutions to develop technologies for impact prevention and asteroid deflection. One such technology is the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which aims to test the feasibility of deflecting an incoming asteroid by crashing a spacecraft into it.