What just passed near Earth has scientists talking
a small asteroid about the size of a car It flew close to Earth overnight Tuesday, giving scientists another chance to study objects passing near the planet. According to NASA, the space rock known as 2026 FM3 made its closest approach on March 24-25.
scientists They say the asteroid is roughly 4 to 8 meters wideIt’s like a car. It passed about 147,000 miles from Earth, which is closer than the distance to the Moon. Despite this, experts emphasized that this does not pose any danger to the planet.
astronomers just discovered the asteroid A few days before his flight using a telescope in California. Once scientists spotted it, they quickly retraced its path to confirm that it would pass Earth safely without any risk of impact.
The asteroid traveled at speeds of more than 11,000 miles per hour as it moved through space. Despite its speed, objects this size are not considered dangerous, experts say. If one enters Earth’s atmosphere, it will likely burn up and appear as a bright streak of light, often called a meteor or fireball.
NASA and other space agencies track thousands of near-Earth objects like this. There are more than 41,000 known near-Earth asteroids that come relatively close to Earth’s orbit, and scientists are constantly monitoring any asteroids that may pose a risk in the future.
Most of these flights take place without people realizing it. Smaller asteroids pass by Earth fairly frequently, and many are only detected shortly before or after passing by the planet. These events help scientists develop systems for detecting and tracking space objects.
Experts say studying these close approaches is important for planetary defense. By learning more about how asteroids move and what they’re made of, scientists can better prepare for larger objects that could pose a real threat in the future.
“For those who have seen recent stories of fireballs in places like Ohio and Texas, this is a useful distinction: Not every nearby asteroid becomes a meteor, and not every flyby poses a threat.” said cleveland.com | Ryan Cohick, weather reporter for The Plain Dealer. “In this case, the asteroid passes safely past the Earth without posing any danger to the planet.”
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