Usually, it is soothing to look up at the starry sky. Nevertheless, a massive visitor is to visit on Friday. A large asteroid is racing towards Earth; it won't hit, but it will come close enough that astronomers can watch it very closely.
Fast and Enormous: What Is KU in 2023?
Asteroid 2023 KU is about 113 metres wide, nearly as tall as a 35-storey building. It is currently travelling at over 64,800 kilometres per hour. On April 11 at 9:05 p.m. IST, it will fly by Earth.
The asteroid is a member of the near-Earth objects of the Apollo group. These space pebbles have the potential to come too close when they travel through Earth's orbit. Their paths are nevertheless carefully tracked even though most of them pass uneventfully.
Distance Brings Comfort, But Problems Remain
In 2023, NASA says that KU will go one million kilometers. Earth and the Moon are more than twice as far apart. Although this is extreme, experts say caution is necessary.
Upcoming flybys could be more hazardous if a space rock this large is seriously off course. With time, its path may be shifted by tiny tracking miscalculations or by gravity.
What Would Occur If It Struck Earth?
The effect of a 2023 KU collision with Earth would be huge. It would explode as much as many nuclear bombs, according to experts. Lives would be lost and cities would be destroyed.
The 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor, however, was only 18 meters in diameter. Yet it resulted in 1,500 injuries and shattered glass in buildings. KU is over six times bigger in 2023.
This asteroid is also barely over the 140-meter line below which asteroids are deemed "potentially hazardous." The question of what might slip through our present watchlists is therefore posed.
And Who's Watching the Sky?
NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies is at high alert. They collaborate with observatories globally to monitor such asteroids. Systems like Pan-STARRS and Catalina Sky Survey are utilized for most of the monitoring. NASA's Goldstone Radar also helps in providing accurate radar images of objects that are on their way.
Scientists stress the importance of early detection even when asteroids might not pose an immediate threat. Literally, one small change in direction can make a huge difference.
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