Potentially dangerous asteroid is on its path toward Earth, says NASA

A space rock known as 2008 OS7, with a diameter of approximately 890 feet, is expected to pass by our planet at a distance of 1,770,000 miles on Friday afternoon. Written by Shivali Best For Mailonline Published: 11:08 EST, 31 January 2024 | Updated: 11:32 EST, 31 January 2024

According to NASA, a ‘potentially hazardous asteroid’ about the size of a football stadium is currently moving toward Earth. This asteroid, referred to as 2008 OS7, has a diameter of roughly 890 feet, just slightly smaller than the famous arch of Wembley Stadium, which is 1,033ft long.
It is expected to pass by Earth at a distance of 1,770,000 miles at 14:41 GMT on Friday afternoon. However, there is no need to panic, as NASA assures that there is no risk of collision. ‘We don’t need to worry about it too much as this asteroid will not enter Earth’s atmosphere, while this will still approach close to the Earth,’ said Dr Minjae Kim, Research Fellow at the Department of Physics, University of Warwick. A ‘potentially hazardous asteroid’ the size of a football stadium is hurtling towards Earth, Nasa has said (artist’s impression) READ MORE: Could a nuke save us from a killer asteroid? The model showed the bomb landing on the asteroid, going off and sending its powerful energy shooting through the cosmic object <!- – ad: – ->Advertisement
NASA defines potentially hazardous asteroids as those with a size greater than about 460 feet (140 meters) and with orbits that bring them as close as within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth’s orbit around the Sun.Dr Kim explained: ‘2008 OS7, a very small asteroid whose orbit intersects with that of Earth, has been classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA).’There are more than millions of asteroids in our solar system, of which approximately 2,350 asteroids have been classified as PHAs.’The next significant approach to Earth by a PHA will be the 99942 Apophis on April 14 2029.’Asteroid 2008 OS7 completes an orbit around the sun every 962 days (2.63 Earth years).Dr Kim continued: ‘Unfortunately, asteroids are generally too faint to have been detected by the current techniques and surveys, so it’s very hard to see by our naked eyes.’The only asteroids at all visible to the naked eye so far are Pallas and Vesta, having diameters of about 500 km.’Four other asteroids will make near-Earth passes between now and Friday, ranging in size from that of a plane to a house.These will be: 2024 BR3 at 100 feet in size; 2024BR (63 feet); 2003 BM03 (120 feet); and 2024 BJ03 (73 feet). The space rock, called 2008 OS7, measures about 890 feet in diameter – just slightly smaller than Wembley Stadium’s famous arch, which stretches 1,033ft Although the likelihood of this asteroid colliding with Earth is extremely low, NASA has not ruled out the possibility of an asteroid collision in the near future.NASA discovers approximately 30 new ‘near-Earth objects’ (NEOs) every week, and by the beginning of 2019, more than 19,000 objects had been discovered.However, the space agency has cautioned that its NEO catalog is incomplete, meaning an unforeseen impact could occur at ‘any time.’NASA explained: ‘Experts estimate that an impact of an object the size of the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 – approximately 55 feet (17 meters) in size – takes place once or twice a century.’Impacts of larger objects are expected to be far less frequent (on the scale of centuries to millennia).’However, given the current incompleteness of the NEO catalog, an unpredicted impact – such as the Chelyabinsk event – could occur at any time.’Explained: The difference between an asteroid, meteorite and other space rocks An asteroid is a large chunk of rock left over from collisions or the early solar system. Most are located between Mars and Jupiter in the Main Belt.A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other compounds. Their orbits take them much further out of the solar system.A meteor is what astronomers call a flash of light in the atmosphere when debris burns up.This debris itself is known as a meteoroid. Most are so small they are vapourised in the atmosphere.If any of this meteoroid makes it to Earth, it is called a meteorite.Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites typically originate from asteroids and comets.For example, if Earth passes through the tail of a comet, much of the debris burns up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower.