NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has identified an asteroid, dubbed as Asteroid 2023 LG2, that is approaching towards Earth.
This asteroid passing Earth, will be approximately 2.1 million kilometers away from our planet today, July 1. Its speed is also noteworthy, as it's hurtling towards us almost at the pace of a hypersonic ballistic missile, around 9,933 kilometers per hour.
Asteroid 2023 LG2 belongs to the Aten group of asteroids, which NASA classifies as Earth-crossing or Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) known for their smaller semi-major axes compared to Earth's.
This group was named after asteroid 2062 Aten, which was discovered by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at Palomar Observatory on January 7, 1976.
Also watch: International Asteroid Day 2023: What are Asteroids? How do Asteroids get to Earth?
So, how hazardous is this asteroid close encounter to Earth posed by Asteroid 2023 LG2? According to NASA's data, this particular asteroid measures approximately 80 feet in diameter, akin to a small aircraft.
Though complete eradication of life on Earth would demand an asteroid with a 96-kilometer diameter, smaller asteroids like Asteroid 2023 LG2 should not be underestimated.
To illustrate, a previous run-in with a 59-feet asteroid resulted in the destruction of 8000 buildings and injuries to 1000 people.
These asteroid passing to Earth events underline the vital role of NASA's continuous efforts in the enhancement of asteroid detection and tracking technology.
NASA's alert system and programs like DART are of paramount importance in safeguarding our planet from potential impacts posed by these celestial bodies.