Latest news with #ME92
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA alert! 95-foot asteroid 2025 ME92 to fly past Earth on July 31 at 11,000 mph; should we be worried
Source: Live Science A massive asteroid is heading towards Earth, but there's no need to panic—at least not yet. Measuring roughly 95 feet wide, asteroid 2025 ME92 is expected to make its closest approach on July 31, passing by our planet at a safe distance of 3.19 million kilometers. While the asteroid poses no immediate threat, its approach has caught the attention of global space agencies, including NASA and ISRO. Belonging to the Aten group, known for Earth-crossing orbits, ME92's flyby serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present risks in space and the critical importance of planetary defense strategies. Asteroid 2025 ME92 to zoom past Earth on July 31: Distance and speed According to NASA, asteroid 2025 ME92 will zoom past Earth at a staggering speed of 11,831 miles per hour. Though it will maintain a safe distance of 3.19 million kilometers, that proximity is considered relatively close by astronomical standards. This asteroid is classified within the Aten group, a family of near-Earth objects (NEOs) whose orbits often intersect with Earth's. While ME92 does not currently meet NASA's criteria for a potentially hazardous asteroid—which requires the object to be larger than 85 meters and closer than 7.4 million kilometers—it is still under close observation due to the unpredictability of orbital shifts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Why scientists continue monitoring "safe" asteroids Although 2025 ME92 doesn't qualify as a dangerous object, scientists are not letting their guard down. Even small gravitational tugs or solar radiation pressure can alter an asteroid's trajectory over time. These changes, though subtle, could eventually lead to a collision risk in the future. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) continues to maintain an active watchlist of asteroids, using both ground-based and space-based telescopes to refine orbital predictions and simulate impact scenarios—just in case. For now, asteroid 2025 ME92 will pass by Earth without incident, serving as yet another reminder that space is not as distant or silent as it appears. With hundreds of thousands of asteroids and near-Earth objects moving through our cosmic neighborhood, the need for international cooperation and continuous tracking grows more urgent by the day. The flyby of ME92 may be harmless, but it reinforces a universal truth: planetary defense is no longer optional—it's essential. ISRO's role in planetary defense India's ISRO is also keeping a close eye on near-Earth objects. Chairman S. Somanath has recently spoken about the agency's long-term interest in asteroid impact prevention, citing the example of Apophis, a larger asteroid that will make an exceptionally close approach in 2029. ISRO aims to collaborate with international partners like NASA, ESA, and JAXA to enhance its planetary defense capabilities. Plans include launching asteroid landing missions to better understand the composition and dynamics of these celestial bodies—critical data that can help devise deflection techniques in case of a real threat. Also Read | Solar Eclipse August 2 will bring 6 minutes of total darkness; Check, date, time, and visibility areas for a once-in-100-years phenomenon
Metro
6 days ago
- Science
- Metro
Asteroid size of 10-storey building to fly past Earth today at 13,900mph
A huge asteroid is about to fly past Earth – and it'll be getting a bit too close for comfort. The asteroid, named 2022 YS5 by Nasa, is set to fly past us at a staggering 13,980mph on Thursday, July 17. The US space agency confirmed that YS5 poses no threat to our planet – but at 120ft in diameter, similar in size to a 10-storey building, the asteroid is no small fry. YS5 is going to pass Earth at a distance of about 2.58million miles. This may seem far away, but in cosmic terms, it's pretty close. Thankfully, even at its large size, it's too small to be classified as 'potentially hazardous'. Nasa will only use that classification if an asteroid is more than 275ft in diameter and passes within 4.6million miles of Earth, meaning YS5 falls short when it comes to size. The space agency will closely monitor the asteroid, but at this point, it is not considered dangerous. YS5 is considered an 'Apollo-class asteroid' because its orbit crosses the orbit of the Earth. It orbits the sun every 369 days, five days longer than we take on Earth, More Trending And Nasa predicts YS5's close pass comes only two days before our planet's next close encounter with an asteroid. On Saturday (July 19) its Jet Propulsion Laboratory predicts another asteroid, named 2018 BY6 and almost double the size of YS5 at 210ft diameter, will come within 3.27million miles of Earth. A much smaller asteroid, the 95ft diameter 2025 ME92, will come within 3.2million miles of us on Sunday, July 20, and then we'll have a break from close encounters until 2019 CO1 comes within 4.2million miles of us on August 8. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Uranus is hotter and leakier than we realised MORE: 'Super-Earth' sending out strange signal over 145 light years discovered MORE: Two black holes just smashed together into something 225 times the mass of our Sun
