2200-foot asteroid hurtling towards Earth tomorrow! NASA reveals monstrous space rock data

Do you know how many asteroids NASA scientists have tracked to date? Approximately 1,298,148 asteroids have been identified by NASA. The space agency employs a range of advanced ground and space-based telescopes for tracking and researching these cosmic rocks, primarily concentrated within the asteroid belt situated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Telescopes and observatories such as NEOWISE, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Pan-STARRS1, and the Catalina Sky Survey play pivotal roles in the study of asteroids and the mitigation of uncertainties surrounding their close encounters with Earth.

For years, it has been known that the most likely cause of the extinction of dinosaurs was an asteroid impact. The most common theory behind the extinction is the Alvarez hypothesis, which claims that an asteroid struck Earth nearly 65 million years ago and wiped out entire species of dinosaurs. This theory is backed by some proof too as scientists have also discovered its impact crater, known as the Chicxulub crater, buried under the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. As per the hypothesis, the impact of the asteroid would have caused the formation of huge tidal waves and an impact crater almost 140 km wide. Lland material would have splattered into space, changing the Earth into a nuclear winter-like environment, ultimately leading to the demise of dinosaurs.

You may think asteroids are simply floating rocks in space and while it may seem so due to their appearance, it isn't quite the case. These space rocks can be classified into 3 types based on their structural composition. The most commonly found asteroids are S-type, which are made up of carbon-rich substances. On the other hand, S-type asteroids are made up mainly of silicate minerals and are less common. M-type asteroids are the least prevalent and they are primarily composed of metal. NASA recently sent out a mission to a metal-rich asteroid called 16 Psyche which is supposedly worth more than the whole planet's economy put together, at a staggering $10 quintillion!

Hazards like solar storms and asteroids constantly appear and pose threats to our planet. NASA diligently monitors Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) to safeguard our planet from potential impacts. When NASA's telescopes detect a new NEA, precise observations of its position in the sky are reported to the Minor Planet Center. Subsequently, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) utilizes this data to establish the most likely orbit of the asteroid around the Sun. To evaluate the risk of impact and the asteroid's orbit, NASA employs the innovative Sentry II system, featuring a unique algorithm. Sentry II strategically selects random points within the entire uncertainty region, enabling the program to pinpoint very low-probability impact scenarios. Recently, NASA has issued an alert concerning a colossal asteroid that is approaching Earth tomorrow:

Asteroids are abundant in space and as many as 1298148 have been discovered to date. To track and study these space rocks which are mainly present in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, NASA has several advanced ground and space-based telescopes in place. NEOWISE telescope, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Pans-STARRS1 and Catalina Sky Survey are just some of the telescopes and observatories that help study asteroids and remove any uncertainties around their potentially close approaches to Earth.

NASA maintains a vigilant eye on the cosmos to track, monitor, and study each and every asteroid in space that comes near Earth. This crucial endeavor involves a combination of space telescopes and ground-based observatories, including the renowned Hubble Space Telescope. As of now, there are 1,298,210 known asteroids that have been checked. While there are no immediate threats from asteroids to Earth, but they can still wreak havoc in the future. Therefore, tracking them is the only solution to avoid any calamities. Recently, NASA has revealed an asteroid, set to pass by Earth. It is designated as the asteroid 2023 TC7. Read on to know more about this asteroid approaching close to the Earth:

With its advanced tech such as the NEOWISE telescope, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), Pans-STARRS1 and Catalina Sky Survey, NASA has revealed details about an asteroid that will come close to Earth. An asteroid, given the designation of Asteroid 2023 TC1, is on its way towards Earth and could make its closest approach to the planet today, October 13.

Space Rock Games has raised $1.2 million for a video game studio working on a game called Criminals Within.

On September 8, 2016, NASA launched a historic mission - the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx). It was launched to study a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) called Bennu, which has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. After a 6-year journey that involved landing on the asteroid and collecting samples from its surface, the spacecraft finally returned the samples last month, after which they underwent a “nitrogen purge”. Today, NASA will finally open up the canister returned by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and show off the asteroid sample to the world in an event that will be live-streamed. You can watch it online here.

To discover, monitor and study asteroids in space, NASA has several space telescopes and ground-based observatories in place. These include the famous Hubble Space Telescope and the new James Webb Space Telescope. Moreover, spacecraft such as Dawn, OSIRIS-REx, and Hayabusa2 have also helped in studying these ancient space rocks. As of now, there are 1,298,210 known asteroids in space and while not all of them are dangerous, some of them can get knocked off their orbit due to interaction with a planet's gravitational field such as Jupiter, and head towards Earth for potential impact. Therefore, to remove the uncertainties around the asteroid's approach, it is imperative that we track them.

Did you know that artificial intelligence (AI) is aiding in the discovery and study of asteroids? After aiding various industries across sectors such as education, healthcare, engineering and more, AI could also potentially help protect Earth against asteroids. According to a study published by the University of Washington, an algorithm, named HelioLinc3D, helped researchers discover a potentially hazardous asteroid. Asteroid 2022 SF289, which is almost 600 feet wide, was discovered during the algorithm's test in Hawaii and has not been deemed as dangerous in the foreseeable future.

India's first solar space observatory, Aditya-L1, is now on its way to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point-1 (L1), which is about 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth. Aditya-L1 mission has gone off perfectly and it is expected to make yet another amazing achievement for India and ISRO scientists. But before reaching its destination, ISRO had to make a small adjustment in the path of the Aditya-L1 mission spacecraft.