2 aeroplane-sized potentially hazardous asteroids to pass by Earth: NASA

NEW DELHI — Two asteroids 2024 NS1 and 2020 PN1 – about the size of an aeroplane – are set to pass by Earth on Friday, according to an alert by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, US. 

Asteroid 2024 NS1 is a 140-foot celestial space rock, classified as potentially hazardous due to its size and high-speed trajectory.

Yet, as per NASA, “It will pass safely at a distance of 1,260,000 kms from the Earth”.

This is significantly farther than the Moon. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is about 3,85,000 kms.

On the other hand, asteroid 2020 PN1 is a smaller space rock about 90 feet in diameter.

“It will come relatively closer, passing within 6,887,000 kms of the Earth,” said NASA, adding “it poses no immediate threat to Earth”.

NASA’s Asteroid Watch dashboard tracks asteroids and comets that will approach Earth relatively closely.

The dashboard displays the date of the closest approach, approximate object diameter, relative size, and distance from Earth for each encounter.

It displays the next five Earth approaches within 7.5 million kms or 19.5 times the distance to the Moon.

According to NASA “an object larger than about 150 metres that can approach the Earth to within this distance is termed a potentially hazardous object.”

Two more aeroplane-sized asteroids are expected to fly past the Earth on Monday.

Asteroid 2017 TU1 is 70 feet in diameter and will zoom past the Earth at a distance of 2,400,000 kms. Asteroid 2023 HB7, which is 99 feet in diameter, will make the closest approach at 3,490,000 kms.