Earth is set to experience a series of celestial visitors this ཧweek, including an asteroid the size of a sports stadium, according to NASA's Asteroid Watch. While there's no risk of impact, the close encounters will be closely monitored. The largest among them is projected to come within a distance of just under 2 million miles from our planet on Friday.
Asteroid 2008 OS7, measuring approximately 890 feet in dia⛦meter, will come closest on February 2, missing Earth by 1.77 million miles. This event will follow several other near-misses, adding an extra layer of👍 cosmic excitement.
The week's cosmic lineup
1. Monday (Jan 29): 2024 AU4, a "building-size" astero⛦iꦚd of around 260 feet, will pass by at a safe distance of 3.92 million miles.
2. Wednesday (Jan 31): 2007 EG, an "airplane꧒-size" asteroid, will cruise by at ap꧑proximately 3.8 million miles away.
3. Friday (Feb 2): Astꦐeroid 2024 BY, roughly the size of a house, will have the closest approach, passing within 1.57 million miles. On the same day, another "airplane-size" asteroid, 2003 BM4, with a diameter of 120 feet, will pass at a distance of 2.06 million miles.
While these asteroids are not considered a threat, NASA focuses attention on potentially ꦫhazardous objects (PHO), defined as asteroids and comets larger than 500 feet pred⛎icted to approach within 4.7 million miles of Earth. Monitoring such celestial bodies helps ensure a comprehensive understanding of potential risks.
As space agencies continue to study near-Earth objects, recent missions like OSIRIS-APEX, launched by 𒐪NASA in Dec✨ember, aim to explore asteroids like Apophis, often dubbed the "God of Chaos." Apophis is expected to pass remarkably close to Earth in 2029, providing a unique opportunity for scientific observation.
