NASA has issued a warning on a significant asteroid that is entering Earth dubbed “2015 KJ19”. The colossal space rock measures 368 feet ( 112 meters) in size and races through space at an astonishing speed of 83,175 kilometres per hour. The scheduled approach was on May 14, 2024, at 02: 43 UTC, ( 08:13 AM IST), it will pass approximately 6 million kilometres to the planet Earth.
When time is measured from human perception, in the grand scale of space, the distance is merely a hair’s breadth.
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NASA’s Research on Asteroid
The asteroid belongs to the Apollo group, which is notorious for intersecting the Earth’s path, 2015 KJ19 presents an inspiring spectacle. The asteroid is estimated to be the size of the building, it captures the imagination of skywatchers worldwide. Although it has an impressive speed, there is no cause for alarm, but it will maintain a safe distance of 6 kilometres, which is equivalent to 15 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies ( CNEOS), tracks asteroids and comets to assess any impactful threats. 2015 KJ19 is under the “potentially hazardous” zone, CENOS relies on a global network of observation and contributions from astronomers to precisely determine the near-Earth objects.
The asteroid may be too faint to be visible to the naked eye, the astronomy enthusiasts armed with telescopes may have the opportunity to observe it during its close approach. It is often said that countless objects dance through the solar system but are unnoticed. It s estimated to be around 6.04 million kilometres from Earth, 2015 KJ19.
What is Apollo Asteroids?
The Apollo Asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after the 1862 Apollo, it was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s. The Apollo Asteroids are near the Earth’s orbit, they have an orbital Semi- Major Axis that is greater than that of the Earth, but perihelion distances less than the Earth’s aphelion distance.
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Which is the fastest asteroid in Solar System?
The Space rock, known as 2021 PH27, completes one lap around our star every 113 Earth days, it discoverers determined. This is one of the shortest known periods of any object in the solar system except planet Mercury, which takes just 88 days in a loop around the sun.
2021 PH27, travels so much more elliptical path than mercury does and therefore gets closer to the sun by about 12.4 million miles, the closest approach, compared to 29 million miles for the solar system’s innermost planet.
About Author
This Article has been written by Ms Vijaya Pramodini SK, an aspiring journalist, who is currently dedicated to her studies in Journalism and communication. With a keen eye for authenticity, she strives to uncover and present the real facts, embodying the principles of ethical journalism.
