The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released an advisory for a large near-Earth asteroid, 2024 JV33. It is estimated at the size of a building, almost 620 feet in diameter. It was projected to be closest to Earth on 19 August 2024.
A Close But Distant Encounter
Although the 2024 JV33 will come within 1.3 million miles of Earth, that is three times more distant than the Moon. It should pass at a distance of about 2,850,000 miles. For NASA, that distance is close enough to continue closely monitoring the situation.
A Member Of The Apollo Group
The 2024 JV33 is just one of Apollo’s lines of asteroids that are infamous for passing inside the Earth’s orbit. Additionally, the asteroid, with a speed of 24,779 miles per hour, has the potential to be destroyed as it approaches Earth.
NASA’s Commitment To Monitoring Near-Earth Objects
Space agencies, in coordination with NASA, enable a highly integrated network of telescopes and computing systems to track near-Earth objects. This enormous majority of NEOs will be safe and far removed from Earth in general. NEOs are closely monitored when they reach distances of 7.5 million kilometers or more and have a size greater than 140 meters.
The CNEOS is essentially the area of NASA focusing intently on as many space rocks as they can. They are an assessment entity regarding any risks that could come from it. All this serves to stress a rather proactive approach to understanding and preparations in case there might be any cosmic hazard to threaten our planet.
