An asteroid nearly 1,500 feet in size is hurtling towards Earth at about 26 times the speed of sound, NASA reported. Known as 2024 ON, this asteroid measures between 721 to 1,575 feet (220 to 480 meters) in diameter and is traveling at a speed of 19,842 mph (31,933 km/h), according to Live Science. It is expected to pass Earth on September 17 at a distance of 0.62 million miles (1 million kilometers), which is about 2.6 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Although this might seem far by everyday standards, it’s relatively close in cosmic terms. Fortunately, NASA confirms that it poses no threat to Earth. NASA monitors near-Earth objects (NEOs) and classifies any that come within 120 million miles (193 million kilometers) as potentially hazardous. For something to be truly dangerous, it must approach within 4.65 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth.
NASA uses systems like the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) to track over 28,000 asteroids. Though none pose a threat in the next 100 years, scientists remind us that asteroids can unexpectedly change orbits or appear with little notice, like one that hit Earth over the Philippines recently.
Additionally, there has been ongoing concern about the asteroid Apophis, initially thought to have a high risk of colliding with Earth in 2029. While current predictions say it will safely pass, scientists are monitoring whether a collision with another object could alter its orbit, potentially putting Earth at risk in the future.