Asteroids in Space: Just before Christmas i.e. on 24th December, a unique event is going to happen in space. According to scientists, a 120 feet long asteroid is going to pass near our Earth. Scientists have named this asteroid 2024 XN1. NASA says that this asteroid is moving at a speed of 14,743 miles per hour, which will pass at a distance of 4,480,000 miles from the Earth, which is 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. According to NASA scientists, even though a 120 feet long asteroid may be passing very close to the Earth, it will not pose any threat. Despite this, scientists are keeping an eye on this unique phenomenon happening in space.
This asteroid is very important
This incident of an asteroid passing near the Earth in space is not new. However, this asteroid is special in many ways. According to scientists, asteroids like 2024 XN1 can play an important role in understanding the origin of the early solar system. NASA is using state-of-the-art tracking technology to understand the path of this asteroid.
Largest among the next five asteroids
According to scientists, Asteroid 2024 XN1 is the largest among the next five asteroids passing near the Earth. Despite this, scientists have assured that there will be no danger to the Earth due to its passing near the Earth. This asteroid is being monitored with the help of NASA’s Asteroid Watch Dashboard. NASA’s dashboard gives information about all those asteroids and comets which pass close to the Earth or are about to collide with the Earth. This platform of NASA provides information about the nearest distance of asteroids from the Earth, their size and speed, due to which scientists can anticipate the possible danger coming to the Earth from space.
What are asteroids?
Asteroids are celestial bodies, which continuously rotate in our universe. These asteroids are smaller in size than any planet and larger than meteorites. These are made of some metal and rock. Scientists believe that asteroids are formed due to the breakdown of a planet or star. About 20 lakh asteroids are revolving in our solar system.
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