Two massive asteroids, 2024 XY5 and 2024 XB6, approached Earth on December 16th.
NASA has confirmed that while these asteroids are flying by in space, there was no danger to the planet.
About The Two Asteroids
Asteroid 2024 XY5
Asteroid 2024 XY5 is 71 feet in diameter and will pass by Earth at a distance of around 2,180,000 miles, which is about 16 times the distance to the Moon. It will pass at a speed of 10,805 miles per hour, and it will make its closest approach at 12:26 AM IST on December 16th.
Asteroid 2024 XB6
The second is 2024 XB6, which is a little smaller, at 56 feet in diameter. It will pass Earth at a distance of about 4,150,000 miles and is moving at a speed of 14,780 miles per hour. Its closest approach will be later today, but the asteroid is not a threat to impact.
Asteroids such as 2024 XY5 and 2024 XB6 are a couple of the remaining bodies formed roughly 4.6 billion years ago in the early stages of the solar system.
Learning about these objects allows great discoveries about Earth’s beginning and the development of our universe. Events like this one serve as a reminder, recalling past impacts like an asteroid collision that eradicated dinosaurs.
High-Tech Used To Monitor
NASA utilizes high-tech systems, such as radar technology and Jet Propulsion Laboratory tools, to monitor NEOs accurately. Some missions, including OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2, have even retrieved samples from asteroids. This gives scientists a chance to analyze their composition and thus understand better the formation of planets.
