200-foot Asteroid 2023 JD2 set to pass Earth tomorrow at mind-numbing speed, NASA warns

Considering the horrific destructive potential from asteroids, NASA and other space agencies keep a constant watch. These asteroids mainly remain in the asteroid belt, but some asteroids do change their path of orbit. How? According to NASA, asteroids follow elliptical paths as they orbit the Sun, but their movements are far from predictable. They exhibit irregular rotation and erratic motion. The gravitational influence of Jupiter and occasional encounters with other celestial objects can disrupt their trajectories, resulting in their ejection from the main asteroid belt and sending them into different orbits, potentially crossing the paths of other planets such as Earth.

NASA says that stray asteroids and asteroid fragments have slammed into all planets in the past, playing a major role in altering their geological history and even in the evolution of life on Earth. Hence, NASA never ignores any upcoming asteroid within close proximity of Earth. Now, a huge asteroid is set to make a close approach towards Earth tomorrow. Is it a matter of concern? NASA explains.

Asteroid 2023 JD2 details

As per the asteroid tracking data from NASA, Asteroid 2023 JD2 will fly past the Earth tomorrow, May 16 at a close distance of 3.5 million miles. This 200-foot-wide asteroid is coming at a fiery speed of 46891 kmph, NASA’s CNEOS data has revealed.

Recently, on May 13, 2023, astronomers detected the presence of an asteroid called 2023 JD2, classified as part of the Apollo group. This classification is named after the first asteroid discovered within this group, known as 1862 Apollo.

It is important to note that if an asteroid comes within a distance of approximately 4.6 million miles or 7.5 million kilometers from Earth and has a size larger than about 150 meters, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office flags it as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and issues an alert. Fortunately, the size of Asteroid 2023 JD2 poses no immediate threat as a potentially hazardous asteroid. However, even a slight deviation in its path could result in a catastrophic impact on Earth.

Tech behind asteroid warnings

The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA is responsible for monitoring all known near-Earth objects to assess their potential impact risk. To detect the danger, NASA has established the NEO Observations Program, which is tasked with finding, tracking, and characterizing NEOs, and identifying those that may pose a hazard to Earth. Ground-based telescopes and NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft are currently used to locate NEOs.