NASA officials confirmed today that a 120-foot asteroid, roughly the size of a small airplane, will pass close to Earth. But don’t worry, because despite being close, asteroid 2022 SW3 poses no threat. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory assured there’s no reason to worry when it said the asteroid “is not going to come closer than about 1.6 million miles.”
It will pass less than three times the distance from Earth to the Moon. Although it is very close, scientists say that as of now it poses no threat to Earth. This close encounter will be an opportunity for scientists to gain much-needed data about near-Earth objects (NEOs).
Scientists keep track of the orbits of known asteroids, including 2022 SW3, which periodically come close to Earth’s orbit. These observations are very important for the purpose of hazard prediction and assessment.
In fact, asteroids were part of the physical remains of the old solar system, born about 4.6 billion years ago. They do not have atmospheres and are not the size of planets. High technology and observations can trace their paths down to the smallest detail.
Some of these had huge impacts on Earth, including the Chicxulub event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Examples include NASA’s OSIRIS-REx and Japan’s Hayabusa2. Samples from missions like these have been helpful in answering questions about the origins of our solar system and how life-sustaining compounds landed on Earth. Every asteroid that passes by increases our chances of being prepared for other potential threats.
Today’s close flyby is also an eye-opener to the fact that no one can understand asteroids or their close observation in just one pass. While this event is not dangerous, it will be a good time for scientists to collect data in preparation for upcoming encounters.
Space agency NASA has created a defense system to address the fear of these near-Earth objects. According to NASA, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the world’s first planetary defense technology demonstration, has in the past successfully impacted its asteroid target in an attempt to move an asteroid in space.