NASA is closely monitoring a building-sized asteroid as it makes its closest approach to Earth today, among a group of five other space rocks passing by our planet over the next two days.
The asteroid, known to NASA as "2023 KU", will zip past at a distance of approximately 657,000 miles, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has revealed.
The asteroid, which is estimated to be around 370 feet across, is the closest among the next five asteroid approaches tracked by NASA's Asteroid Watch Dashboard.
One out of the other four space rocks due to hurtle past the Earth this weekend is significantly larger than "2023 KU," with the largest asteroid on the dashboard being approximately 1,800 feet. The others are slightly smaller than "2023 KU," with the smallest being 43 feet and described as "house-sized" by NASA.
While none of the approaching asteroids pose a threat to the planet, the space agency remains vigilant in its study of them, as it does with all the asteroids noted on its Asteroid Watch Dashboard.
A stock illustration of an asteroid passing the Earth.A stock illustration of an asteroid passing the Earth.Getty Images
Other Asteroid Approaches
On April 4, NASA shared that it was keeping a close eye on a plane-sized asteroid known as "2025 GH" which whizzed past the earth at around 45,991 miles per hour on the day.
While most of these space rocks pass without much attention, one asteroid, "2024 YR4" made headlines due to fears that it could collide with the Earth.
The asteroid had been under close observation after being shown to have the "highest impact probability NASA has ever recorded for an object of this size or larger," when it was being closely monitored earlier this year.
"2024 YR4" was shown to have an impact probability of 3.1 percent in 2032. The space agency said at the time that "the range of possible locations the asteroid could be on Dec. 22, 2032, has moved farther away from the Earth."
However, in February, the space agency had noted that "NASA significantly lowered the risk of near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 as an impact threat to Earth for the foreseeable future."
Asteroids are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of the solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago. Most are found in the asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, but some like "2023 KU," have orbits that bring them closer to the Earth.
These space rocks vary in size and studying them can provide valuable insights into the history of the solar system, and the potential risks asteroids could pose to the Earth.
NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), part of JPL, maintains a comprehensive database of asteroids that come within 4.6 million miles of the Earth—a range that is roughly 19.5 times the distance to the Moon.
The agency uses sophisticated telescopes and radar technology to track these objects, keeping their trajectories and potential risks under its watchful eye.
NASA defines any object larger than 150 meters that comes within this threshold as a potentially hazardous object (PHO).
While "2023 KU" falls below this size classification, the agency still keeps a close eye on smaller asteroids that could one day pose a risk.
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