Chelyabinsk asteroid-sized space rock set to make close approach to Earth today

NASA is on a continuous mission to track and study asteroids especially the ones that come too close to the Earth for comfort. The US space agency goes to considerable lengths to increase its knowledge about the space rocks. The most recent case being the retrieval of an asteroid sample from a spacecraft it had sent out to collect it. It achieved this significant milestone yesterday by successfully retrieving the space capsule containing the samples from Asteroid Bennu. These precious samples were collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2020 and the craft came back now. This marked NASA's inaugural attempt and triumph in acquiring samples from an asteroid.

Asteroids are a small, but inseparable part of our solar system, but they possess a massive potential for destruction. Therefore, NASA is on a continuous mission to track asteroids and study them in order to take preventive measures in case the threat is serious. NASA actively monitors asteroids to safeguard Earth and enhance our understanding of their paths as they hold many secrets. When NASA's telescopes detect a new Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA), the agency's astronomers gather observational data and share it with the Minor Planet Center. Subsequently, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) utilizes this information to compute the asteroid's probable orbit around the Sun. To monitor asteroids, NASA astronomers have developed a next-generation impact monitoring algorithm called Sentry-II in order to evaluate NEA impact probabilities efficiently.

Have you ever thought what would happen if Earth got hit by an asteroid? Even the thought of it is scary. While that has not happened for quite some time now, the threat is constantly present. It is also something that is inevitable and that is why space agencies like NASA keep a constant watch on all asteroids approaching Earth. While it is not in the hands of humankind to stop an approaching asteroid, NASA has successfully tested a mission where it was able to divert an asteroid from its path. This was the DART mission.

Chunks of asteroid that could tell us about the earliest days of the 4.5 billion-year-old solar system and the possible origins of water on our planet are set to land in the Utah desert Sunday.

NASA has recently shed light on an asteroid whose orbit will bring it close to Earth. This Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today, September 22. Whilst this space rock will come very close to the planet, it is not expected to impact the surface. According to NASA, Asteroid 2023 RQ6 will pass by Earth at a distance of around 6 million kilometers. It is already on its way toward the planet, traveling at a blistering speed of 33912 kilometers per hour.

Asteroids often make close approaches to Earth, making it imperative to discover and track them for potential impacts. While these space rocks may rarely ever hit Earth, their size, and history of impacts is enough to spread fear in the scientific community. But it seems like asteroids aren't only plaguing us in real life, but in video games too. Players of Starfield, Bethesda's new open-world RPG, have been reporting issues of being followed by asteroids wherever they go! Not only in space, but asteroids are also accompanying players when they touch down on a planet's surface! NASA itself had earlier reacted to Starfield in a humor-filled way.

NASA defines asteroids as ancient space rocks left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. While most of these space rocks are located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, the orbits of some asteroids bring them closer to Earth. Apart from the asteroid belt, there is the Kuiper belt which has a huge number of comets and asteroids in it too. Notably, in recent years, there have been several close calls with asteroids that have passed close to our planet. If they come close enough, some of the asteroids are termed as Near-Earth Objects.

Since asteroids are an ever-present threat, apart from NASA, other organizations too are engaged in efforts to establish protocols for planetary protection against such threats. The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) have joined hands in order to eliminate planetary threats. While IAWN is tasked with establishing protocols and developing communication plans to aid in decision-making, SMPAG is responsible for selecting the technology that is needed for the deflection of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) like asteroids and finalize the measures for planetary defense.

An asteroid, designated as Asteroid 2023 RV9 by NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), will make its closest approach to Earth today, September 18. The space agency uses its suite of highly advanced ground and space-based telescopes to discover and track asteroids in the sky. With their help, NASA has revealed that this asteroid will pass Earth at a distance of about 3.8 million kilometers. It is dashing towards Earth at a fearsome speed of 25872 kilometers per hour.

One threat that is constantly looming on Earth is the danger from asteroids. Asteroid threat has been present for millions of years now. These ancient space rocks have periodically collided with Earth, shaping its history and causing the extinction of untold number of species. Asteroids were first discovered and recognised as such on January 1, 1801.

Solar activity has been on the rise, with recent developments stoking concerns about potential repercussions for our planet. On September 17th, as predicted, Earth was hit by a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that was spewed out by the Sun earlier. While the initial impact did not trigger a geomagnetic storm, there's a possibility of minor G1-class storms being sparked today in the coming hours as Earth continues to traverse through the CME.

NASA has issued a warning about a particular asteroid designated as Asteroid 2016 LY48. This near-Earth asteroid is expected to make its closest approach to Earth tomorrow, September 16. According to NASA, this space rock is approaching Earth at a fearsome speed of 38997 kilometers per hour. It is expected to pass Earth on September 16 at a distance of about 1.9 million kilometers.