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4 asteroids set to get very close to Earth, says NASA; check details in brief here

Apr 05, 2024 05:53 PM IST

NASA has revealed that there are 4 asteroids set to come close to Earth today.

US space agency NASA has a huge armada of gadgetry deployed on Earth as well as in the skies to find out quickly if there are any threats to our planet from space bodies traveling by. Some of the most destructive ones, and frequent visitors at that, are asteroids. The space rocks travel at high speeds and mostly zip past the Earth. However, they are known to have smashed into Earth with catastrophic results. Remember how the dinosaurs met their end? Just one asteroid caused their extinction according to the prevalent theory and paved the way for the rise and domination of Earth by mammals. Since many asteroids head towards Earth on a daily basis, NASA keeps an eye on each one to make sure they do not pose any danger.

NASA says 4 asteroids that are between bus and house-sized will buzz Earth today.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
NASA says 4 asteroids that are between bus and house-sized will buzz Earth today.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In this regard, it has revealed that some new asteroids have appeared on the space horizon and they are traveling speedily. The flybys are expected to happen today.

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There are as many as four asteroids of varying sizes that have been highlighted by NASA. Among them is Asteroid 2024 GA, which is 38-feet wide and will fly by Earth today. It will get as close as 981,000 miles to our planet. The size is equivalent to that of a bus.

The next asteroid heading Earth’s way is Asteroid 2024 GF. At 43 feet, it is somewhat bigger than the first one, it will not get any closer than 1.06 million miles of Earth. It is as big as a house.

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The third one on NASA list of asteroids that are going to pass Earth today is Asteroid 2024 FD. This 38-foot wide asteroid will get as close as 1.34 million miles of Earth. This asteroid is bus-sized.

And the last, but not the least is the 48-foot wide Asteroid 2024 GG. It too will pass Earth today at no nearer distance than 3.58 mn miles. This asteroid is the size of a house.

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To put things in perspective, know that the distance (average) between moon and Earth is about 239,000 miles. This indicates that these asteroids will get quite close to our planet.

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