This month several asteroids have been flying by Earth, and once again a massive asteroid named 2011 MW1, is speeding towards Earth at 28,946 kmph. This is an Apollo-class asteroid that is around 380 ft big, according to NASA CNEOS data, it will make the closest approach to Earth will be 2.4 million miles away on July 25, today.
NASA has issued a warning on this, they have characterized it as Near Earth Object (NEA). Even though the distance of the asteroid is close to Earth, this does not make it fall under the category of the Potentially Hazardous Object (PHO).
NASA has revealed that they have recognised around 35,000 NEO's. The size of this asteroid is of the Qutub Minar or a skyscraper. Despite the size, there has been no threat of this asteroid calculated by NASA.
The trajectory or path of this asteroid is being tracked by the NASA Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).
CNEOS (Center for Near-Earth Object Studies) is tasked with precisely mapping the orbits of all known near-Earth objects, forecasting their close approaches to Earth, and conducting thorough impact hazard assessments to support NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, the remnants of the early solar system led to the formation of asteroids. The solar system originated from a vast, rotating cloud of gas and dust known as the solar nebula.
The leftover particles started to collide and adhere to one another as a result of gravity pulling this material together to form the Sun. Asteroids, which are mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, are larger bodies that have formed over time from the coalescence of these smaller particles.
These asteroids pass by and contribute to the expansion of the knowledge of the materials existing in our solar system and how it is formed. Some asteroids contain valuable materials like metals and water. In the future, they could potentially be mined for resources, which could support space exploration and even economic activities on Earth.
NASA has launched several missions focused on the study and observation of asteroids, including PAN-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, the NEOWISE mission, and the upcoming NEO Surveyor.
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