2024 KN1: The Plane-Sized Asteroid To Zoom Past Earth Today (image@Pixabay)

A collision with one asteroid could result in a massive disaster to humankind. So the news of one approaching has always grabbed headlines. Recently, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) alerted about a plane sized asteroid, which is expected to make its closest approach to earth today.

The asteroid, named as 2024 KN1, is reported to be the size of an 88-foot aeroplane, and is travelling at a speed of approximately 16,500 kilometres per hour. The celestial visitor belongs to Amor group and will make its closest approach to Earth on June 23, 2024, at 11:39 PM IST.

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At the same time, NASA said that there is nothing to worry about. The space station classified the asteroid as non-threatening, emphasising that its trajectory will keep it at a safe distance from Earth, eliminating any risk of impact. It said that the asteroid will pass safely at a distance of 5.6 million km.

Over 30,000 asteroids of all sizes, including more than 850 larger than a kilometre wide, have been catalogued in the vicinity of the Earth, earning them the label “Near Earth Objects” (NEOs). However, none of them threatens the Earth for the next 100 years. NASA is also closely monitoring a small subset of asteroids known as potentially hazardous asteroids, which have orbits that could bring them closer to Earth, posing a potential risk.

NASA’s dashboard tracks asteroids and comets that will make close approaches to Earth. It displays the date of the closest approach, approximate object diameter, relative size and distance from Earth for each encounter. It also tracks asteroids that are within 7.5 million kilometres of Earth.

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According to NASA, the asteroids are the leftovers from the formation of our solar system. Since they are formed in different locations at different distances from the sun, no two asteroids are alike. unlike planets, they are not round in shape either. Most asteroids are made of different kinds of rocks, but some have clays or metals, such as nickel and iron.