NASA Alerts: A massive 540-foot asteroid coming very close to Earth Today – Should we worry?

Asteroid coming towards Earth (Representative Image - Canva)

The vastness of space hides a lot of visitors from the celestial world. Some travel innocently, some spark scientific curiosity. Asteroid 2014 TN17 is one of them, and it will fly by Earth soon. There is no alarm now, but the astronomers are monitoring it carefully.

When Will it Come Close to Earth?

Asteroid 2014 TN17 will be nearest on the 26th of March. It will pass by Earth at 5:04 p.m. IST and will be 5 million kilometers away. That is about 13 times more distant than the Moon. It won't hit the planet, but it's a significant object to observe due to its size and path.

The asteroid belongs to the Apollo group whose path crosses the path of Earth. The majority of Apollo asteroids will go by without doing any damage, but slight deviations in their path could be perilous. Gravitational forces or collisions with space debris could change their path in the long run.

What If It Hits Earth?

If an asteroid strikes the world, it would be catastrophic. The collision would release the power of many nuclear bombs. It might kill cities, ignite huge fires, and change the world climate.

There was a tragedy in 1908 over Siberia, called the Tunguska explosion. That asteroid leveled 2,000 square kilometers of trees and was as large as half of 2014 TN17. If the same thing happened now over a large city, it would be unthinkable.

How Do Scientists Trace It?

The NASA Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) is tracking 2014 TN17 currently. Giant telescopes, radar, and even amateur astronomers all help track space rocks. Some asteroids, though, aren't seen until they're close. They are still studying these objects to try and improve early warning systems. While 2014 TN17 will safely pass by, scientists are not taking any chances. Their work prepares us for dangers from space.