110-foot asteroid 2023 LL 490 is hurtling towards Earth at 95 kmph, shows NASA data

Most asteroids come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter when they break away from their original orbit. These asteroids exhibit an elliptical orbit and often have erratic rotations, hurtling through space. Could these giant rocks hit planets? NASA says that the gravitational force exerted by planets in our solar system can affect their trajectories, causing them to move unpredictably towards the inner solar system, including Earth. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory constantly monitors these dangerous asteroids.

Currently, NASA has raised concerns about an asteroid that is speeding towards Earth, and is predicted to pass dangerously close. The asteroid in question, named 2023 LL, is 110 feet in diameter, and NASA has revealed that it is expected to approach Earth today, June 10. NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has red-flagged all upcoming asteroids. Get as close as 4.6 million miles or 7.5 million kilometers to Earth and take a size larger than 150 meters. If an asteroid comes within this distance, the space agency identifies it as potentially dangerous and issues an alert.

So, does 110-foot-wide asteroid 2023 LL pose a threat to Earth? Here’s what NASA’s assessment says.

Asteroid 2023 LL Description

According to asteroid tracking data, NASA says that asteroid 2023 LL will fly past Earth today at a distance of just 1.31 million miles. NASA’s CNEOS data showed that it is approaching at a speed of 49095 kmph.

Astronomers discovered this asteroid, known as 2023 LL, recently – on May 26, 2023. This asteroid is classified as belonging to the Apollo group. According to Sky.org, it completes one orbit of the Sun every 592 days. Fortunately, it is not classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid. However, given the fact that it is expected to approach dangerously close, it is important to maintain a constant vigil on this massive space rock to prevent any possible mishaps.

asteroid tracking technology

To detect this type of threat in time, NASA has established the NEO Observation Program, which is tasked with finding, tracking, and identifying NEOs and those that pose a threat to Earth. can do. Ground-based telescopes and NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft are currently used to detect NEOs.

Initially named as WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) at its launch in December 2009, the space telescope’s mission was to survey the sky in the infrared to detect stars, asteroids and faint galaxies. The telescope successfully completed its mission by February 2011. Later in December 2013, the telescope was rechristened NEOWISE to study NEOs, asteroids and comets after being taken out of hibernation.