NASA reports that two asteroids measuring 100 feet (30 meters) or larger are approaching their closest point to Earth today, June 18, 2023. The two largest asteroids are estimated to be 110 feet (34 meters) tall, or roughly the size of a 10-story building.
Astronomers monitor the sky for any asteroids that may come uncomfortably close to Earth. the Watch the asteroid The dashboard tracks these asteroids and comets that are approaching our planet. It publishes the dates of closest approach, the approximate diameter of the space rock, and the relative size and distance it will be from Earth. According to this nifty instrument, five of these objects will approach Earth within the next few days, with the largest measuring 180 feet (55 meters) in diameter.
2023 LW and 2023 LV will be their closest approaches to Earth today. The 2023 LW will be within 1.4 million miles (2.3 million km), while the 2023 LV will come within 2.8 million miles (4.5 million km) traveling at a staggering 28,846 kilometers per hour (17,924 mph).
After the two space rocks slamming into Earth today, there will be three more space rocks slamming closer over the next three days. 2016 LK49 IS space rock It is about 70 feet (21 meters) in diameter and will be within 4.1 million miles (6.7 million km) of Earth on June 19, 2023. 2023 LT1 is 49 feet (15 meters) in diameter and will come closest to Earth at about 427,000 miles (687,000 km) on June 20 2023. Finally, 2023 HF1 is about 180 feet (55 meters) across and will fly by Earth at a distance of approximately 3 million miles (4.8 million kilometers) on June 21, 2023.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) lists any object larger than about 150 meters that can approach Earth within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million km) as a potentially dangerous object. This is about 19.5 times the distance to the Moon, as the average distance between Earth and the Moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 km). All five of these asteroids are too small to be classified as potentially dangerous, but it is reassuring to know that they can be spotted and tracked without a doubt.
