NASA Reports an Asteroid the Size of a Bus Approaching Close to Earth

Asteroids, while generally harmless as they zip by Earth, can pose significant risks if their trajectory brings them too close. A historical example is the asteroid that struck millions of years ago, leading to the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of mammals.

NASA, along with other global space agencies, monitors near-Earth asteroids closely. Recently, NASA identified a bus-sized asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 XH7, that is set to pass by Earth. According to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), this asteroid will approach within 940,148 kilometers of Earth. Although this seems like a considerable distance, it’s relatively close in spatial terms. Asteroid 2023 XH7, part of the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, is traveling at a speed of 71,276 kilometers per hour.

This isn’t the asteroid’s first encounter with Earth; it previously passed by on July 5, 2020, at a much farther distance of 9.7 million kilometers. It is expected to come close again on July 22, 2033, but will be about 63 million kilometers away from Earth at that time.

Regarding the potential threat, Asteroid 2023 XH7, measuring 34 feet across (roughly the size of a bus), is not considered a significant danger. NASA categorizes asteroids as ‘Potentially Hazardous Objects’ if they are larger than 492 feet and pass within 7.5 kilometers of Earth.

NASA employs a comprehensive network of telescopes for asteroid tracking, including advanced systems like the NEOWISE telescope, Pans-STARRS1, the Catalina Sky Survey, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), among others. These instruments play a crucial role in monitoring and assessing the trajectories of near-Earth objects.