Close approach TODAY! NASA says 88-foot asteroid hurtling towards Earth at fiery speed today

Over the last few years, there have been several instances where asteroids have come very close to our planet, posing a significant potential threat. One of the earliest known asteroid impacts on Earth is around 4.5 billion years old. That was when a massive object called Theia, about the size of Mars, collided with Earth and resulted in the formation of the Moon. Another asteroid crashed in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico nearly 65 million years ago, and it wiped out the dinosaurs. The most recent asteroid impact happened just a decade ago when an asteroid exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in 2013.

These potential impacts serve as a reminder that humanity must track asteroids in space. Today, NASA, with the help of its advanced technology, has issued an alert against an asteroid that is expected to make its closest approach to Earth.

Asteroid 2023 HH7 details

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). The organization has issued a warning against an asteroid designated as Asteroid 2023 HH7. This Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is expected to make its closest approach to Earth today, May 4.

Whilst this asteroid will come very close to the planet, it is not expected to impact the surface. According to NASA, Asteroid 2023 HH7 will pass by Earth at a distance of 839,000 kilometers. It is already on its way towards the planet, travelling at a blistering speed of 88396 kilometers per hour.

Asteroid 2023 HH7 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and is almost 88 feet wide, which makes it as big as an airplane!

Importance of studying asteroids

Scientists study asteroids to learn more about the early solar system and the conditions that existed when the planets were forming. Asteroids can also provide valuable resources such as water, metals, and other minerals. One such discovery was made by studying an asteroid.

Until now, it was believed that water was already present on Earth from earliest times. However, a recent study has made an astonishing discovery that puts this very thought into doubt. The study has revealed that water may have originated on asteroids.