Asteroid Alert: In a cosmic reminder of the ever-present watchful eye of astronomers, NASA has flagged an asteroid, named 2024 RV50, that will make a close approach to Earth on October 18, 2024. Measuring approximately 710 feet/216 meters (roughly the length of a stadium), this asteroid will pass at a distance of 4.61 million miles from Earth, well beyond the orbit of the Moon.
Although this distance might sound vast, 2024 RV50 falls into the category of a near-Earth object (NEO) — a term used to define any celestial object that ventures close to Earth’s orbit.
Similar to a recent asteroid named 2024 ON, which captured public attention in July, NASA’s monitoring of 2024 RV50 is part of an ongoing planetary defense initiative. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which tracks asteroids and comets that are supposed to make relatively close approaches to Earth, this global effort relies on both ground-based and space-based telescopes to track thousands of such objects annually, helping scientists. keep tabs on potential hazards.
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Why Significant Impacts Of Asteroids Are Rare
While the idea of a large asteroid approaching Earth may evoke anxiety, experts emphasize that significant impacts are rare. “On a daily basis we are visited by many objects,” Juan Luis Cano from the European Space Agency’s Planetary Defense Office is quoted as saying in a Deutsche Welle report. Most of these objects, however, are small fragments that burn up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.
For the few asteroids that could pose real danger, early tracking systems offer valuable lead time. NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), for example, successfully altered the trajectory of an asteroid last year, demonstrating a potential defense strategy for deflecting future threats. Later this month, the European Space Agency will launch the Hera mission to study the aftermath of this DART mission, enhancing our understanding of asteroid deflection methods.
With over 34,000 NEOs cataloged and advanced telescopes like the Near-Earth Object Surveyor and Vera Rubin Observatory coming online soon, scientists are more equipped than ever to detect and monitor such objects. For now, though, 2024 RV50 poses no threat and serves as a reminder of the extensive precautions already in place to keep our planet safe from cosmic threats.
