Three asteroids, including one larger than the Washington Monument, will fly safely to Earth on Christmas Day, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies.
The largest space rock, known as asteroid 501647 (2014 SD224), is expected to come less than 1.9 million miles from Earth and is believed to have a diameter of up to 689 feet. Due to its size and distance, it is considered a “potentially dangerous” object near the Earth (NEO), but does not pose a threat to the planet when it zips at the end of this week.
“Potentially dangerous” NEOs are defined as space objects that fall within 0.05 astronomical units and measure more than 460 meters in diameter, NASA explained. According to a 2018 Planetary.org report, there are more than 18,000 NEOs.
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This asteroid made a close approach to Earth on January 26, 2020 and will not do so until December 18, 2021, NASA added.
In addition to asteroid 501647 (2014 SD224), two other asteroids will fly safely past Earth on Christmas Day – 2020 XY and 2020 YM1. Both are considered NEOs and, like asteroid 501647, do not pose a threat to Earth.
In 2018, NASA unveiled a 20-page plan that outlined steps the U.S. should take to better prepare for NEOs, such as asteroids and comets that are less than 30 feet away. millions of miles from the planet.
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A recent survey showed that Americans prefer a space program that focuses on the potential impacts of asteroids rather than sending people back to the moon or Mars.
In April 2019, NASA awarded a $ 69 million contract to SpaceX, the space exploration company led by Elon Musk, to help it deflect the asteroid through its DART mission.
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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in April 2019 that an asteroid strike is not something to be taken lightly and is probably Earth’s biggest threat.