NASA Raises Warning as Five Massive Asteroids Will Pass Near Earth This January

In January, NASA warns that at least five asteroids will approach Earth, one of which is the size of Big Ben.

According to the space agency, at least five asteroids are nearing Earth in January, one of which is the size of a huge skyscraper. The study was issued by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a research development facility that is federally funded by NASA and operated by the California Institute of Technology.

JPL identified the alien objects using its Asteroid Watch dashboard, which identifies and tracks asteroids and comets scheduled to approach in close contact with Earth.

Smaller than a planet but larger than a meteoroid, asteroids are stony objects that circle the Sun and are smaller than a planet.

Related Article: Massive Asteroid Size of Golden Gate Bridge Will Pass by Earth on January 18

(Photo : MasterTux on Pixabay)

NEOs

Near-Earth Objects, or NEOs, constitute potentially catastrophic risks to our planet. An asteroid or comet that passes close to the Earth's orbit is a near-Earth object. Technically, a NEO has a course that gets it within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun and hence within 0.3 astronomical units of the Earth's orbit, or around 45 million kilometers.

NEOs are created by objects that have been subjected to gravitational perturbations from surrounding planets, causing them to orbit closer to the Earth.

The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) and the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group (SMPAG) were founded in 2014 due to United Nations-endorsed proposals. They serve as vital worldwide tools for improving planetary defense cooperation.

Planetary Defense

(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)

In 2022, NASA launched a refrigerator-sized spacecraft, setting it on a collision path with an asteroid - and it's all on purpose. If a large space rock is on our way, this planned self-destruction will inform us if smashing a spaceship into an asteroid is enough to preserve Earth in the future.

NASA deliberately launched a refrigerator-sized spacecraft setting it on a collision course with an asteroid. It will be determined whether crashing a spaceship into an asteroid is adequate to safeguard Earth in the future if a giant space rock comes our way.

DART, or the Double Asteroid Redirect Mission, and its objective is clear. The spacecraft will attempt to deflect an asteroid in space for the first time. The premise is very simple: DART will slam into the object, moving at around 15,000 miles per hour, transferring its velocity to the asteroid.

This body slam should be enough to deflect the asteroid a fraction of a percent off its original path. The asteroid DART aims at does not pose a threat to Earth, and the mission has no way of changing that.

The notion of planetary defense, which protects Earth against asteroids or other space objects that may cross paths with our planet, is an essential aspect of NASA's overall mission. It's also the aspect of NASA's mission that tends to pique the public's interest and Hollywood's attention the most.

Films like Armageddon and Deep Impact have depicted a variety of NASA strategies for preventing an asteroid or comet from colliding with our planet.

Although humans journey to the space rock that would bring our approaching death in both films, this scenario is unlikely to occur due to the huge complexity and safety difficulties such a trip would face.

Also Read: NASA Plans to Deflect Asteroids to Defend the Planet from Cosmic Disaster 

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