Two sizable asteroids are set to fly past Earth this week, as reported by the European Space Agency, marking a unique coincidence that aligns with this year’s Asteroid Day.
Despite their classification as “potentially hazardous” due to their size and trajectory, neither of these celestial bodies poses any threat to the planet.
Asteroid 2024 MK, measuring between 120 and 260 m in diameter, was first spotted a week ago on June 16, 2024.It is scheduled to make its closest approach to Earth on June 29, coinciding with the peak of this year’s Asteroid Day festivities. 2024 MK is large for a near-Earth object (NEO) and will pass within 290 000 km of Earth’s surface – roughly 75% of the distance between Earth and the Moon.
The larger of the two visitors this week is Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21, boasting a diameter of 2310 m, which places it among the top 1% of the largest known near-Earth objects. Despite its impressive size, this asteroid will maintain a safe distance from Earth, with its closest approach on June 27 still being more than 17 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Interestingly, this asteroid’s orbit around the Sun is steeply inclined, a rare characteristic for an object of its size, as most large objects in the Solar System, including planets and asteroids, tend to orbit the Sun in or near the equatorial plane.
The timing of these asteroid flybys coincides with Asteroid Day, an annual event held on June 30. Endorsed by the United Nations, Asteroid Day serves as a reminder of the largest recorded asteroid impact in history – the 1908 airburst over the sparsely populated region of Tunguska in Siberia, which resulted in the destruction of approximately 80 million trees.
Despite their classification as “potentially hazardous” due to their size and trajectory, neither of these celestial bodies poses any threat to the planet.
Asteroid 2024 MK, measuring between 120 and 260 m in diameter, was first spotted a week ago on June 16, 2024.It is scheduled to make its closest approach to Earth on June 29, coinciding with the peak of this year’s Asteroid Day festivities. 2024 MK is large for a near-Earth object (NEO) and will pass within 290 000 km of Earth’s surface – roughly 75% of the distance between Earth and the Moon.
The larger of the two visitors this week is Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21, boasting a diameter of 2310 m, which places it among the top 1% of the largest known near-Earth objects. Despite its impressive size, this asteroid will maintain a safe distance from Earth, with its closest approach on June 27 still being more than 17 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Interestingly, this asteroid’s orbit around the Sun is steeply inclined, a rare characteristic for an object of its size, as most large objects in the Solar System, including planets and asteroids, tend to orbit the Sun in or near the equatorial plane.
The timing of these asteroid flybys coincides with Asteroid Day, an annual event held on June 30. Endorsed by the United Nations, Asteroid Day serves as a reminder of the largest recorded asteroid impact in history – the 1908 airburst over the sparsely populated region of Tunguska in Siberia, which resulted in the destruction of approximately 80 million trees.
