NASA Monitors Massive Asteroid Passing Near Earth

 Massive Asteroid on Course for Close Approach to Earth, Monitored by NASA

Giant Asteroid to Pass Near Earth, Tracked by NASA

NASA is keeping a close watch on a "potentially hazardous" asteroid that passed near Earth on Tuesday. Named 2024 ON, this massive space rock measures approximately 350 meters in length and 180 meters in width—equivalent to about 1,150 feet by 590 feet, surpassing earlier size estimates.

Classified as "stadium-sized" by NASA, the asteroid was recorded as being 621,000 miles from Earth on Tuesday morning, a distance considered relatively close by astronomical standards. Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained that an asteroid of this magnitude passing this close to Earth is a rare event, occurring only once every five to ten years.

Farnocchia, who works at the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, also noted that the last significant meteor impact happened in Russia in 2013. He emphasized that Earth hasn’t been struck by an asteroid as large as 2024 ON since prehistoric times.

Study Reveals Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Triggered Global Tsunami

Tuesday Asteroid Flyby: NASA Monitors Stadium-Sized Space Rock

While the asteroid is close enough to be classified as a "potentially hazardous object," Farnocchia reassured that there is no risk of it colliding with Earth. For the asteroid to pose a real threat, it would need to come within a few hundred miles of the planet—far closer than its current trajectory.

"We actively monitor the possibility of a collision, not just in the near future but for the next hundred years," Farnocchia explained. "There is no risk of impact during that time."

Asteroid 2024 ON is one of five set to pass by Earth over the next two days, but the others will not come nearly as close. These four asteroids will range from 1.1 to 3.9 million miles away. Three of them are about 51 feet in diameter, roughly the size of a house.

Asteroid 2024 ON to Pass 621,000 Miles from Earth Tuesday Night, NASA Reports

New Green Fossil Dinosaur Species Unveiled, Set for Display in Los Angeles

One of the asteroids, designated 2013 FW13, is approximately 510 feet in diameter and is expected to pass by Earth on Wednesday.

NASA’s Asteroid Watch Dashboard monitors "asteroids and comets that make relatively close approaches to Earth." According to the data, asteroid 2024 ON was traveling at a speed of about 8.8 kilometers per second, or nearly 20,000 miles per hour, on Tuesday morning.

"The dashboard provides information on the date of closest approach, estimated object diameter, relative size, and distance from Earth for each encounter," NASA’s website explains.

"The dashboard shows the next five objects that will come within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth, or roughly 19.5 times the distance to the moon. Any object larger than 150 meters that comes this close is classified as a potentially hazardous object," NASA explains.