53-feet asteroid racing towards Earth! Know what NASA reveals

NASA has several space and ground-based telescopes in place to discover, track, and study asteroids. But if you're a budding astronomer, you can help the space agency too! NASA's new Daily Minor Planet Project allows astronomers and skywatchers to help discover new asteroids and track them in data sets. To capture asteroids, the Daily Minor Project uses the NASA-funded, University of Arizona-based Catalina Sky Survey which captures nearly 1000 images every night. Due to this volume, NASA scientists fall short of personnel to study these images. After looking at the image, you just have to click on a yes or a no button and add a comment if necessary, before moving on to the next image.

Asteroids often pass Earth at close distances, posing a threat to the planet with their terrifying approaches. Most of them might seem like they're just floating rocks in space, but did you know asteroids have differing compositions? 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.

Yesterday, an unstable sunspot named AR3450 was spotted coming towards the Earth. It was estimated that any explosions within this region that could lead to a coronal mass ejection (CME) would be geoeffective and could lead to a solar storm event. However, it has not gone off so far and no solar flare activity has been noted. While astrophysicists are keeping an eye on it, a new report has highlighted that the month of September witnessed as many as three separate solar storm events, with two of them being significantly intense to the point of reaching the mid-latitude regions. With the peak of the 11-year Solar Cycle, the Solar Maximum, approaching soon, will the month of October be worse? We take a look at the data from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to know what's coming our way.

Over the course of Earth's 4.5 billion-year-old history, there have been several major asteroid impacts that have had a significant impact on the future of the planet and helped humanity to emerge as a dominant force. Perhaps the most consequential impact occurred almost 65 million years ago when a mammoth 12-kilometer-wide asteroid crashed into the surface and obliterated nearly 70 percent of Earth's species including dinosaurs. The crater where the asteroid crashed can still be found today in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Such large asteroids have the potential to cause global devastation if they crash. Fortunately, NASA and other space agencies now have an arsenal of space and ground-based telescopes to discover and track them.

After a long wait, samsung enthusiasts in India have finally something to look forward to as the tech giant seems to have officially confirmed the launch date of its much-anticipated affordable flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. After months of speculation and leaks, the wait is almost over, with the launch scheduled for Wednesday, October 4. Notably, it will coincide with the launch of the much-awaited Google Pixel 8 smartphones. Know all about the release:

NASA has been working on its Psyche mission for the last few years but hasn't been able to launch it yet. The space mission to the 16 Psyche asteroid has been delayed several times now, with the most recent happening on October 5. The $1.2 billion mission was set to launch via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of NASA's Discovery missions but was delayed, giving NASA more time to reverify parameters that control the rocket's nitrogen cold gas thrusters. For the unaware, the 16 Psyche asteroid is made up of gold, nickel, and iron deposits and is supposedly worth more than Earth's economy.

Asteroids are in constant focus of most space scientists due to their potential for causing global destruction. Asteroids are space rocks that follow distinct orbits in the vastness of space. According to NASA, some of these ancient cosmic rocks pose a potential threat of colliding with Earth. Although most of them reside in the primary asteroid belt situated between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, some of these space rocks approach Earth, with some coming within just a few hundred thousand kilometers of our planet. This proximity raises concerns about the possibility of these asteroids impacting Earth. And now, NASA has informed about a humongous asteroid that is traveling towards Earth rapidly. This is a 2200-foot asteroid that has been designated as 349507 (2008 QY).

NASA is on a continuous mission of exploration of the cosmos. One such mission, Psyche, scheduled to launch in October 2023, promises to unveil the secrets of a metal-rich asteroid like never before. This ambitious endeavor is set to use cutting-edge technology, including highly sensitive cameras. Asteroid Psyche follows quickly on the heels of the successful mission by NASA called DART in which the US space agency crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid in order to deflect it from its path.

NASA tracks all asteroids that stray close to the Earth because they could pose a potential danger. Apart from that, information about the origin of various asteroids can solve multiple mysteries about the universe. Recently NASA has successfully brought back a chunk of asteroid Bennu from space with the help of ORISIS- REX spacecraft. This asteroid sample is a huge achievement in the field of space exploration. Now, NASA is on its next asteroid mission called Psyche. According to NASA, this mission will study this metallic asteroid. The asteroid orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. As explained by NASA, the Psyche asteroid has a nickel-iron core that was essential in creating our solar system. One of the mission's main objectives is to get as close as 280 kilometers to Asteroid Psyche. The mission will help reveal various facts about the solar system and more.

Asteroids are massive space rocks that travel through space and worryingly, some of these also make a close approach to Earth. NASA tracks such asteroids and categorizes them as potentially hazardous or non-hazardous objects depending on their size and proximity to the planet. Now, a new study says that an asteroid can hit Earth in the next 159 years. Considering that an asteroid caused the extinction of dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, this is shocking news. Now, the prediction of an asteroid collision in the near future is scary. Know what the expert says about this asteroid impact.

To study asteroids up close, NASA and other space agencies have launched several space missions. The purpose of these missions is to study asteroids, minimize any uncertainties around their dangers, and determine whether we could extract resources from them in the future. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was conducted last year where a spacecraft successfully collided with an asteroid to divert it from its path. Other missions include Dawn, OSIRIS-REx, and Hayabusa2.

After yesterday's close call with Asteroid 2023 SF6, which passed Earth at a close distance of just 1.4 million kilometers, yet another asteroid approach is expected today. NASA has now revealed that an asteroid is expected to just about miss Earth. While it isn't expected to impact the surface, it could pass by very closely. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), which is responsible for monitoring the skies against the threat of rogue asteroids, has issued a warning against the close approach of an asteroid designated as Asteroid 2023 SW6.