Latest news with #CNEOS
Newsweek
17-07-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
NASA Tracking Plane-Sized Asteroid Approaching the Earth Today
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASA is monitoring a plane-sized asteroid zooming past the Earth on Thursday at around 13,600 miles per hour. The space rock known as "2022 YS5" made its closest approach at around 4.15 million miles from the Earth, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The asteroid was measured to be anywhere between around 95 to 204 feet in diameter. according to the JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The national space agency is also tracking a couple of other plane-sized asteroids that are expected to zip past the Earth this weekend. An asteroid called "2018 BY6" that's around 210 feet in diameter is due to come as close as within 3.27 million miles from our planet on Saturday. Another space rock, called "2025 ME92," that's around 95 feet in diameter is expected to make its closest approach at 3.19 million miles from the Earth on Sunday, according to the JPL. A stock image of an asteroid floating near the Earth, with an inset image of a commercial aircraft in the sky. A stock image of an asteroid floating near the Earth, with an inset image of a commercial aircraft in the sky. Getty Asteroids are small, rocky masses left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. They are found concentrated in the main asteroid belt, orbiting around the sun between the paths of Mars and Jupiter. The orbits of asteroids bring them within 120 million miles of the sun. Most near-Earth objects (NEOs) are asteroids that range in size from about 10 feet to almost 25 miles across. Back in February, data from the CNEOS found that the impact probability of the asteroid known as "2024 YR4" in 2032 was at 3.1 percent, which was "the highest impact probability NASA has ever recorded for an object of this size or larger," the space agency noted at the time. Further observations since saw NASA conclude that "the object poses no significant impact risk to Earth in 2032 and beyond," the space agency said in a blog post in June. Experts from the JPL have been able to refine their knowledge of where the asteroid will be on December 22, 2032 by nearly 20 percent. "As a result, the asteroid's probability of impacting the Moon has slightly increased from 3.8 percent to 4.3 percent," NASA said, noting that "in the small chance that the asteroid were to impact, it would not alter the Moon's orbit." The space agency says: "Asteroid 2024 YR4 is now too far away to observe with either space or ground-based telescopes. NASA expects to make further observations when the asteroid's orbit around the Sun brings it back into the vicinity of Earth in 2028." "The majority of near-Earth objects have orbits that don't bring them very close to Earth, and therefore pose no risk of impact," NASA explains. However, a small portion of them known as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) do merit closer monitoring. Measuring around 460 feet in size, PHAs have orbits that bring them as close as within 4.6 million miles of the Earth's orbit around the sun, NASA explains. "Not all NEOs are potentially hazardous, but all hazardous objects are NEOs," Martin Barstow, a professor of astrophysics and space science at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek. Despite the number of PHAs out in our solar system, none are likely to hit Earth any time soon. "The 'potentially hazardous' designation simply means over many centuries and millennia the asteroid's orbit may evolve into one that has a chance of impacting Earth. We do not assess these long-term, many-century possibilities of impact," Paul Chodas, manager of the CNEOS, told Newsweek. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about asteroids? Let us know via science@
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Asteroid the size of 145 Elmos to fly past Earth on Tuesday, July 15
Asteroid 2025 MA90 is set to fly past the Earth on Tuesday, July 15. With an estimated diameter of 88.8 meters, that comes out to around 145 Elmos, thanks to measurements taken by Drew Brees. An asteroid the size of around 145 Elmos is set to pass the Earth on Tuesday, July 15, according to NASA's asteroid tracker. According to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the asteroid in question has been designated as 2025 MA90, meaning it was discovered and officially recorded this year. But thankfully this large asteroid won't be coming too close to the Earth, which is fortunate, as scientists working in the field of planetary defense have recently determined that asteroid deflection has more complications than they previously thought. NASA CNEOS's estimates place asteroid 2025 MA90's diameter as being anywhere between 66 meters to 150 meters. Using the Eyes on Asteroids tool, we get a more conservative estimate of 88.8 meters. To put that in a more familiar metric, let's use a classic pop culture icon that has helped define the early childhoods of hundreds of millions of people around the world: Elmo. Yes, the familiar red monster, the most famous Muppet of Sesame Street. We're measuring an asteroid with him. So how big is Elmo, exactly? There is no shortage of merchandise of the character, all of varying sizes, but how tall is the character in the Sesame Street canon? No official size has been given by the creators of Sesame Street. However, diving deep into the history of the character, we at The Jerusalem Post were able to find a special 2011 guest appearance by Drew Brees, quarterback for the NFL team the New Orleans Saints. In this "Word of the Day" segment, where the characters and viewers learn about a new word, Brees demonstrates the word "measure" and proceeds to measure Elmo's height, which clocks in at 24 inches, or 60.96 centimeters. With that in mind, asteroid 2025 MA90 is around the size of 145 Elmos, going by his Drew Brees-measured height. As Brees notes in the Sesame Street video, you can use anything to measure, which he promptly proved by measuring Elmo in terms of potatoes and tubes of toothpaste. According to Brees, Elmo is four potatoes tall, and three tubes of toothpaste tall. With that in mind, asteroid 2025 MA90's diameter would be the size of 435 tubes of toothpaste, or 580 potatoes - at least the ones used on Sesame Street in 2011. Of course, were we to use Brees himself, the result would be different, as he stands at six feet tall, or 1.8288 meters, meaning the asteroid's diameter would be around 48.5 Drew Brees. At 88.8 meters, asteroid 2025 MA90 has the potential to do some pretty substantial damage. The last asteroid impact to cause major damage to the Earth was in 2013, when an asteroid impacted over Chelyabinsk, Russia. The resulting airburst - when an asteroid explodes after impacting the atmosphere - resulted in a large and powerful shockwave that was felt regionally. Over 7,000 buildings in multiple cities were damaged, and over 1,000 people were injured, mostly by broken glass. In the grand scheme of asteroid impacts, this was fairly benign, but as an isolated incident, it could be seen as having caused considerable damage. And that asteroid was only around 20 meters in diameter. At 88.8 meters, asteroid 2025 MA90 would be far more destructive. But what if NASA's largest estimate, 150 meters, was correct? At that size, it would pass the threshold to be considered a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). According to research from the Davidson Institute of Science, the educational arm of Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science, an asteroid 140 meters in diameter or more would release an amount of energy at least a thousand times greater than that released by the first atomic bomb if it impacted Earth. But luckily, asteroid 2025 MA90 isn't going to come too close to the Earth, instead passing by over six million kilometers away. And this is especially fortunate, considering humanity is not yet ready to combat an asteroid impact. An asteroid impact is among the most destructive natural disasters that could occur. As such, scientists have been hard at work in the field of planetary defense to try and protect the planet from these giant space rocks. Because yes, it isn't only Elmo that hates certain rocks - if you know, you know. The most promising effort in this field was the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which slammed into a far away asteroid to see if it could impact its orbit. While at first this mission seemed to have been a success, a recent study published in the peer-reviewed academic periodical the Planetary Science Journal found that the actual result was more complicated. Rather than just deflecting the asteroid, the DART impact ejected several boulders out of the main body. These ejections added more force to the impact, almost as much as the DART impact itself. This means that the actual success of asteroid deflection is harder to predict, so humanity still has a way to go before making themselves safe from asteroids.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Two asteroids the size of 32 George Washingtons to pass Earth on Fourth of July
Americans will use anything but the metric system. So let's put that to its most logical conclusion and measure asteroids with the first US president: George Washington. Two asteroids, both around the size of 32 George Washingtons, are set to pass by the Earth on Saturday, July 4, according to NASA's asteroid tracker. And no, we're not referring to one-dollar bills, but rather the man himself. And also no, this is not referring to the American inventor and peanut pioneer George Washington Carver, but the former US president. The asteroids have been designated 2025 MY88 and 2025 MV89, both discovered this year, as noted by the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). As is unsurprising for the tendency of these articles, these asteroids being measured in terms of the founding president of the United States are set to pass by the Earth on the Fourth of July, also known as American Independence Day. In what was rather surprising, both asteroid 2025 MY88 and its companion 2025 MV89 happen to actually be rather close in size. The first has an estimated diameter of up to 61 meters, with the second having an estimated diameter of as much as 65 meters. However, as is often joked about on the Internet, Americans tend to resist using the metric system. So let's put that to its most logical conclusion and literally use the founding pillar of the United States: George Washington. America's founding president, the general who led the Continental Army to victory over the British, with the help of the French, was a towering figure in both reputation and stature. As noted by George Washington's home of Mount Vernon, now home to the George Washington Library, the president stood at a towering 1.879 meters, or six feet and two inches in freedom units. What that means is that, after some rounding, both asteroids are around the size of 32 George Washingtons. Fireworks are typical of the Fourth of July, and if these two asteroids hit the Earth, then fireworks would be an understatement. The asteroids would likely not survive the actual trip through the atmosphere and wouldn't cause anything in the way of a mass extinction event. However, what they would do is explode. This explosion is known as an airburst, and they can be incredibly loud. For example, when a much smaller asteroid, approximately 20 meters in diameter, impacted over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, the airburst resulted in a large and powerful shockwave that was felt regionally. Over 7,000 buildings in multiple cities were damaged, and over 1,000 people were injured, mostly by broken glass. That's certainly a lot of damage, and these asteroids would likely be even worse. However, in the grand scheme of things, this would be far from an apocalyptic scenario, which would require an asteroid of around 140 meters in diameter to achieve. Of course, given the fact that most asteroids are thought to be rubble piles with indeterminate volume, the exact size is never quite certain due to the influence of gravity, which causes it to pull in different directions, distorting their shape. While scientists have made significant strides in the field of asteroid defense, we're not yet fully prepared. We still have some ways to go before we can declare our independence from asteroids.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Asteroid's odds of hitting the Moon have now more than doubled
Earth is safe from asteroid 2024 YR4, but fresh looks at the space rock using Webb and other telescopes have now increased its chances of impacting the Moon. After a brief stint as the highest risk asteroid we know about, 2024 YR4 is now deemed harmless to Earth. In fact, NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) and the ESA's Near-Earth Objects Coordination Centre (NEOCC) now only give a very slim chance of any threat from it. That probability now sits at just 1 in 120,000, but in 2047, a full 15 years after the 2032 encounter that initially raised so many alarms. However, based on the newest telescopic observations of 2024 YR4, its December 22, 2032 flyby may be the last time it ever passes by our planet. The extreme sensitivity of the James Webb Space Telescope allowed astronomers to continue to observe the asteroid long after it moved beyond the capabilities of Earth-based telescopes. Using the data collected by Webb, scientists with CNEOS updated their calculations of 2024 YR4's orbital path. Back at the end of February, when NASA had ruled out any significant danger to Earth from the asteroid, they also determined there was a 1.7 per cent chance it would strike the Moon. The new data has now increased that probability to 4.3 per cent. That's more than double the initial chance of lunar impact. The latest probability of impact for asteroid 2024 YR4, as of June 3, 2025, at 4.3 per cent of striking the Moon on December 22, 2032. Along the top of the image is NASA's sequence of plots generated from Jan 27 through Feb 23 showing how the asteroid's closest approach to Earh changed as observations refined its orbit. (NASA CNEOS) A 4.3 per cent of impact still counts as a 95.7 per cent chance that it will miss the Moon. So, with it having no chance of hitting Earth on that date, 2024 YR4 could simply slip through lunar orbit with no effect at all — just a telescopic curiosity to observe as it passes by. Still, at an estimated 65-metres wide, when 2024 YR4 was still thought to be a threat to Earth, it was (unofficially) considered to be a 'city-killer' asteroid. It was highly unlikely to have hit anywhere inhabited. However, if it did, that size of asteroid would have caused extensive damage on a local level. For any city in the impact zone, the effects would have been catastrophic. An estimate of the size and shape of asteroid 2024 YR4 based on telescopic observations. (NOIRLab) For comparison, the 20-metre asteroid that exploded over Cheylabinsk on February 15, 2013 produced an airburst — a pressurized wave of air — that shattered windows across the city when it reached the ground. Tiny fragments of the asteroid rained down over the area, with the largest piece, roughly 60 cm wide and with a mass of around 300 kg, punching a hole in the frozen surface of nearby Lake Chebarkul. The airburst that would result from 65-metre 2024 YR4 exploding would be powerful enough to level buildings. While not large enough to produce a crater, the shattered asteroid would likely include several larger pieces that would cause further damage and injuries upon striking the ground. If 2024 YR4 does hit the Moon in 2032, with no atmosphere to slow it down, it would impact with full force, travelling at nearly 13 kilometres per second, or over 46,000 km/h. The Waning Gibbous phase of the Moon on the night of December 22, 2032. (NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio) If it strikes somewhere in the dark region of the surface, the impact will certainly be noticeable from Earth. It wouldn't be powerful enough to affect the Moon's orbit, or knock any significant pieces off the Moon. It would certainly leave behind a crater that an orbiting spacecraft (such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) would be able to find, though. According to NASA, as of now, 2024 YR4 has moved beyond even Webb's ability to observe it, as it is now too close to the Sun. The next 'encounter' with the asteroid will be in 2028, with its closest pass at that time being around 20 times farther than the Moon. Telescopes should be able to find and track it, though, adding more to our knowledge of its orbit, and potentially locking down whether it will hit or miss the Moon when it returns four years later. (Thumbnail image was produced by the author, using photo-editing software, by adding a 3D computer model of asteroid 2024 YR4 to a background image of the Moon taken during NASA's Artemis 1 mission.) Click here to view the video
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Watch an asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier make a close pass of Earth on June 5
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A potentially hazardous asteroid roughly the size of an aircraft carrier is due to pass within 2.8 million miles (3.5 million km) of Earth on June 5 and you can watch it happen live online. NASA and its partners have been tracking the potentially hazardous asteroid 2008 DG5 ever since its discovery in (you guessed it) 2008 by the Catalina Sky Survey. The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) estimates it to have a diameter ranging between 1,049-2,296 ft (320-700 meters) - roughly the equivalent of the length of a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier. The asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 7.59 p.m. ET (2359 GMT) on June 5, at which time it will pass 2,170,309 miles (3,492,787 kilometers) from our planet, over nine times the Earth-moon average orbital distance. At this range 2008 DG5 will be visible as a solitary point of light to powerful Earthbound telescopes. The Virtual Telescope Project will host a livestream of the flyby starting at 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) on June 5, featuring real-time views of 2008 DG5 captured by its suite of robotic telescopes. June 3 saw the project release an image of the asteroid captured from a distance of 2.2 million miles (3.6 million km) using the 17-inch PlaneWave telescope located in Manciano, Italy, as the asteroid cruised closer to Earth. 2008 DG5 can be picked out as a bright speck of light, with short star lines acting as a tell-tale sign of its movement against the static starfield beyond, created as the telescope tracked its position over a 120-second exposure. NASA classifies an asteroid as potentially hazardous based on a number of factors including its size and whether it will pass within 0.05 astronomical units of Earth - the equivalent of around 4,650,000 miles (7,480,000 km), according to the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Over 1,784 PHAs are being actively tracked by the CNEOS, none of which are predicted to strike Earth and cause widespread damage in the coming century.
