Breaking: NASA on Alert: 150-Foot Asteroid to Pass Dangerously Close to Earth

NASA has issued a warning after detecting a 150-foot (46-meter) asteroid named 2024 NS1, traveling towards Earth at an alarming speed of 27,274 km/h.

The asteroid, comparable in size to an airplane, is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on August 2 at 00:05 UTC (5:35 IST).

Classified as an Apollo asteroid, 2024 NS1 is part of a group of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that have orbits intersecting Earth’s path.

Although many NEOs don’t come close to Earth, some approach at alarmingly close distances and are labeled as potentially hazardous asteroids requiring close monitoring.

Typically, potentially hazardous asteroids are over 460 feet (140 meters) in size and come within 7.5 million kilometers of Earth. However, 2024 NS1 is not considered potentially hazardous due to its smaller size and will safely pass Earth at a distance of nearly 2 million kilometers.

Despite its non-hazardous classification, NASA continues to monitor 2024 NS1 to ensure its trajectory remains unchanged.

What if asteroid 2024 NS1 hits Earth?
If an asteroid like 2024 NS1 were to strike Earth, the impact would vary based on its size, speed, and location of impact. A 150-foot asteroid could cause significant property damage and injuries, while larger asteroids have the potential to trigger catastrophic events such as climate changes and tsunamis.

NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) actively monitors all NEOs to assess any potential impact risks.

The orbital positions of these asteroids are tracked using data from the Minor Planet Centre’s databases, with substantial contributions from NASA-funded observatories such as Pan-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, and NASA’s NEOWISE mission.

Future observations will be enhanced by the NEO Surveyor mission, while planetary radar projects like JPL’s Goldstone Solar System Radar Group also play a crucial role in tracking these objects.

Current data indicates that 2024 NS1 will pass by Earth without causing any harm.