Just Look Up: Giant asteroid the size of Qutub Minar to pass dangerously close to Earth

• A giant asteroid called 2023 GG is expected to zoom dangerously close to the earth at a speed of over 38,000 km/hr.
• 65 million years ago, earth was struck by a massive asteroid that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
• NASA may not be able to destroy an asteroid but has various strategies to reduce the likelihood of an asteroid impact.

It is not just natural calamities and deadly viruses that may end the human race, giant asteroids hitting the earth at very high speeds may also wreak havoc. Around 65 million years back, a massive asteroid struck the earth, leading to the extinction of dinosaurs.

On April 11, a 250-foot wide asteroid called 2023 GG is expected to zoom dangerously close to the home planet at a speed of over 38,000 km/hr. To put things in perspective, the asteroid is just 10 feet shorter than the Qutub Minar in width, traveling at 30 times the speed of sound!

A bus, a plane? It’s an asteroid

Recently, there have been many close encounters. On April 4, an asteroid named 2023 FA7 that’s 92-feet long, passed at a distance of 1,400,000 kms to earth.

Another asteroid, about the size of a bus, passed by the earth on April 5 at a distance of 5,750,000 kms. Asteroid 2023 FZ3, which has a width of 150 feet and is the size of an airplane, passed by earth at a distance of 4,190,000 kms on April 6.

What are asteroids?

Asteroids are rocky and relatively small objects that revolve around the sun.

Most of them are located in the asteroid belt, an area between Mars and Jupiter. They typically have an irregular shape and can vary greatly in size, ranging from only a few meters to several hundred kilometers in diameter.

Certain asteroids have been known to impact planets or moons, resulting in significant destruction because of their high velocities and energy levels.

How NASA tracks asteroids?

NASA uses various methods to track asteroids that may potentially hit the earth. The Near-Earth Object (NEO) program is the main tool that catalogs asteroids and comets that come within a certain distance of the earth's orbit.

Ground-based telescopes are used to search for near-earth objects, and mathematical models are used to calculate their trajectories.

If an asteroid is determined to be on a collision course with earth, NASA will monitor it closely and evaluate various options for deflecting or redirecting the asteroid to avoid impact.

NASA also collaborates with other space agencies and organizations to track and study asteroids and develop strategies for mitigating the risk of asteroid impacts.

What if an asteroid is on the course to collide with the earth?

NASA may not be able to destroy an asteroid, but it has various strategies to reduce the likelihood of an asteroid's impact. For example, one way to deflect an asteroid is by using a "kinetic impactor" which involves a spacecraft colliding with it at high speed to change its course and avoid a collision with earth.

Another method is the "gravity tractor", which gradually changes the asteroid's trajectory using a spacecraft's gravitational pull. A nuclear device may also be used as a last resort, but this approach carries significant risks and uncertainties.

Detecting and tracking asteroids early is crucial in reducing the risk of asteroid impacts as it allows more time to create effective mitigation strategies. Therefore, NASA identifies and analyzes potentially hazardous asteroids to provide advance notice and enable effective mitigation strategies if required.

Hence, news of asteroids that may hit the earth does not mean the world's end. But it does mean that we live in a time when we can understand and appreciate such astronomical phenomena. So, just look up!