This week, two significant asteroids, including the newly discovered 2024 MK, will safely pass Earth in a coincidence that aligns with Asteroid Day. Credit: ESA – P.Carril.
Asteroid 2024 MK will fly past Earth on June 29 at approximately 13:45 UTC . It is between 120 and 270 m across and will pass within the orbit of the Moon. The asteroid was discovered on June 16, 2024, only 13 days before it passes Earth. It poses no risk to our planet, but the fact that it was discovered so late highlights the need to continue improving our ability to detect potentially hazardous object in our cosmic neighborhood.
This asteroid’s orbit around the Sun is steeply inclined, which is unusual for such a large object. Most large objects in the Solar System, including planets and asteroids, orbit the Sun in or close to the equatorial plane. Asteroid 2011 UL21 will pass Earth on June 27. At 2310 m across, this asteroid is larger than 99% of all known near-Earth objects . At its closest point, it will still be more than 17 times as far away as the Moon.
Technology Technology Latest News, Technology Technology Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »