Recently, astronomers made a startling discovery of an asteroid named 2024 GJ2 that came close to Earth, measuring 2.5 – 5 m in size and coming at a distance of only 3% of the distance between Earth and the Moon on April 11. The next flyby of this asteroid will take place in 2093, with a much greater distance from Earth of over half the distance from Earth to the Moon.
The European Space Agency (ESA) states that if the asteroid’s orbit directly crossed the planet, it would burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. This discovery has raised awareness about the potential dangers posed by asteroids and their impact on our planet’s atmosphere.
NASA estimates that there are over a million asteroids in our solar system, including nearly 35,000 near-Earth asteroids. Most asteroids range in size from 10 m to 529 km, but some can be as large as a car like 2024 GJ2. Asteroids are concentrated in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which makes them more susceptible to gravitational forces and their orbits can intersect with those of planets.
Jay Tate, director of the Spaceguard observatory in the UK, explains that because of their small size, asteroids are particularly vulnerable to gravitational forces and can easily intersect with other celestial bodies’ orbits. This highlights the importance of monitoring their movements closely to ensure that they do not pose any threat to our planet or its inhabitants.
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