Today, July 17, three asteroids are scheduled to approach Earth closely. The largest of these is the asteroid 2024 NF, which is equivalent in size to a massive airliner at roughly 220-feet.
However, it will be 3 million miles away from our home planet. Another Asteroid 2024 NJ3 is a house-sized asteroid which will be at a distance of 763,000 miles from our home planet.
However, the concerning one is the Asteroid 2024 NM3 which is as big as an aeroplane and it is all set to make a scary close approach. NASA has revealed that Asteroid 2024 NM3 is 96-foot in diameter and it will be just 484,000 miles away from our home planet. To put it into perspective, know that asteroid 2024 NM3 is around 2 times the average distance between Earth and the Moon which is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometres).
Although, it is still way too far from our home planet, but it is just a stone thrown away in the vast space. A mere deflection in its path can deviate it from its orbit and lead it to hit the nearest planet, that is Earth in this case. NASA’s CNEOS data has suggested that it is travelling at 26,525 km per hour. This is part of the Aten asteroid group, that are a dynamic group of asteroids whose orbits bring them into proximity to Earth.
Asteroid 2024 NM3: Is It Potentially Hazardous?
NASA continuously monitors near-Earth objects (NEOs) and maintains a database of their paths. Asteroids over 150 meters (492 feet) in diameter and within 4.6 million miles (7.4 million kilometres) are considered potentially hazardous. Hence, Asteroid 2024 NM3 is smaller and doesn’t meet the physically hazardous asteroid criteria.However, NASA, ISRO and other space agencies are making sure to find a solution to escape asteroid threats if ever happened in the future. The European Space Agency is accelerating its Ramses mission to visit near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis in 2029, when it will pass closer to Earth than geosynchronous satellites. Ramses, standing for Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety, aims to study and potentially deflect NEOs. To meet the February 2029 rendezvous, planning has begun ahead of official approval, with funding expected in November 2025 and a launch set for April 2028.
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