4 large asteroids, including 1 the size of a skyscraper, speed past Earth

Four ample asteroids will make their closest approaches to Earth connected Thursday, each passing by nan satellite wrong a 24-hour clip frame. 

Two had already zipped past early successful nan morning, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But nan remaining celestial objects connected way to travel suit were group to make their appearances — albeit not literally, astatine slightest from nan viewpoints of skywatchers connected nan crushed — later connected successful nan day. Although Thursday's routes do people nan closest recorded Earth approaches to day for these asteroids, their paths are still rather acold away, excessively distant for immoderate quality to spot 1 of them zooming done abstraction overhead.

NASA scientists emblem locations on these objects paths arsenic adjacent approaches erstwhile they are slated to get astatine points wrong 4.6 cardinal miles from nan Earth's surface, which equates to astir 19.5 times nan region betwixt nan satellite and nan planet, sounds a explanation connected nan agency's asteroid watch dashboard. The mean region from nan aboveground of nan satellite to its outer is 239,000 miles though nan nonstop magnitude varies astatine different points successful nan moon's orbit.

When an asteroid is larger than astir 150 meters, aliases astir 490 feet, crossed and skims past Earth wrong this area deemed adjacent range, scientists see it a "potentially hazardous object." That's astir nan size of a building, and 1 of nan asteroids passing Earth Thursday exceeds that size threshold. The asteroid, named 2002 NV16 aft nan twelvemonth it was discovered, measures astir 177 meters aliases 580 feet crossed — astir nan aforesaid tallness arsenic a 50-story skyscraper. 

The skyscraper-sized stone will recreation by nan satellite from a constituent 2.8 cardinal miles away, NASA said. A sketch shows its orbit astir Earth, nan sun and respective different planets nearer nan sun successful nan Solar System. 

The skyscraper-sized asteroid 2002 NV16 is pictured making its closest attack to Earth Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, successful this illustration. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

NASA tracks adjacent approaches and calculates nan likelihood of those abstraction rocks — including asteroids, meteors and meteorites — impacting Earth. 

"The mostly of near-Earth objects person orbits that don't bring them very adjacent to Earth, and truthful airs nary consequence of impact, but a mini fraction of them – called perchance hazardous asteroids – require much attention," according to the website of nan Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages nan halfway dedicated to studying near-Earth objects for NASA.

All 3 of nan different ample asteroids that person passed aliases will walk Earth connected Thursday are considerably smaller than 2002 NV16. Their sizes scope from 23 to 52 meters, aliases 76 to 176 feet, which NASA classifies arsenic mostly akin to nan size of an airplane. The astir miniature among them makes its closest attack to Earth comparative to nan rest, astatine astir 1.5 cardinal miles from nan surface.

A 5th asteroid will besides move past Earth connected Thursday, but it's overmuch smaller. At conscionable 16 feet across, that 1 is astir nan size of a emblematic SUV. Its closest attack will hap 184,000 miles from nan planet.

In:
• NASA