NASA alert! A massive asteroid racing towards Earth at 14 kilometres per second on May 24; should we be concerned
Asteroid 2003 MH4
, nearly three football fields long, is set to sweep past Earth around 24 May 2025. Its size and speed have caught the attention of scientists, raising concerns despite no immediate threat. The asteroid's close flyby has prompted
NASA
's planetary defense teams to monitor it closely, ensuring any potential risk is quickly assessed. While the chances of impact remain low, the unusual size and speed of the asteroid have heightened awareness and triggered enhanced monitoring, underscoring the importance of preparedness in planetary defense efforts.
Asteroid 2003 MH4 is set to fly by Earth on May 24
Asteroid 2003 MH4 is 335 meters in diameter, the length of three football fields placed one behind the other. The behemoth boulder is moving at an impressive velocity of 14 kilometers per second (approximately 50,400 km/h). The asteroid would travel from Delhi to Mumbai (approximately 1,500 km) in under a minute at such velocity.
Asteroid 2003 MH4 will pass at a distance of 6.68 million kilometers from Earth on May 24, 2025. Although this is gargantuan in terms of human measurement, it is close in terms of the universe. To put it into perspective, it is 17 times closer than the Earth and Moon—a proximity that makes the trajectory of the asteroid important.
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It is in the orbits of space that an approach of 6.68 million kilometers counts as a close call of a kind, particularly considering the size of the object in question. Although Earth will never be in any kind of jeopardy, the occurrence helps to highlight the need for special caution in tracking large near-Earth objects (NEOs).
What makes 2003 MH4 'potentially hazardous'
NASA classifies asteroids with a specific size and proximity as
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids
(PHAs). An asteroid becomes a PHA if it satisfies two conditions:
Size: It should be 150 meters or more in diameter.
Proximity: It should come within less than 7.5 million kilometers to the Earth.\
Asteroid 2003 MH4 qualifies on both counts and is then, in turn, officially designated as a PHA. This, too, needs to be closely monitored due to future impacts but with low likelihood, given its orbital characteristics.
Asteroid 2003 MH4: Ongoing monitoring and surveillance
There is no present threat from Asteroid 2003 MH4 to the world in the near future. Its speed and dimensions, however, must be kept under constant surveillance. The asteroid takes 410 days to orbit the Sun, which is approximately the number of near approaches that lie in its future. Any small change in its path, due to gravitational attraction by other masses or effects such as the Yarkinsky effect (an effect whereby the rotation of an asteroid is affected by radiation from the surface of the asteroid), would result in closer future approaches.
The ongoing monitoring of objects like 2003 MH4 is part of the overall planetary defense plan. Their trajectory and behavior assist in planning for potential methods of mitigation in the event one of them ends up posing a deep threat to the planet in the distant future.
How NASA tracks PHAs
NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) make periodic observations of the objects using ground-based telescopes and space observatories. Orbital modeling and radar observation, for instance, enable scientists to forecast the future path of the asteroid and calculate any potential danger.
What are the Apollo asteroids
Asteroid 2003 MH4 is an Apollo family, a collection of Earth-crossing asteroids. They pass around the Sun in orbits that intersect or almost intersect the Earth's orbit. "Apollo" is named after the first discovery of these asteroids, 1862 Apollo, in 1932.
So far, there are more than 21,000
Apollo asteroids
, which are typically bodies of immense concern and interest for planetary defense programs, and have been found by astronomers. They are apt to cross the orbit of our planet.
The Apollo group asteroids, such as 2003 MH4, have orbits crossing that of Earth and their orbits get altered due to the planet's gravitational pull, especially those of Earth and Jupiter. This will result in altering their orbits occasionally and causing new close approaches in the future. On-going observation by NASA tracks any change of orbits of such bodies and thus improving predictability and avoiding potential impacts.
Other asteroids that will be monitored
Asteroid 2003 MH4 is only one of the objects tracked by NASA. For instance, Asteroid Apophis, which had initially been considered to impact Earth in 2029, was subsequently taken off the list of consideration for imminent danger upon close tracking.
At the same time, other asteroids close to Earth such as 2024 YR4 and 2025 FA22 are also monitored. Specifically, 2025 FA22 will pass very close to our planet in 2089, although present computer models put chances of impact at a mere 0.01%. Slim as the chances may be, the asteroid will be under intense observation.
Why ongoing observation is important
The sudden near-miss by an Asteroid 2003 MH4 reminds us of the dynamic and potentially volatile nature of our own solar system. The asteroid is not currently causing any devastation but could be a reminder of the necessity of keen observation of near-Earth objects, as well as improved telescopic technology and orbital simulation and planetary defense research to observe these objects and make sure that we are ready for whatever devastation they will ultimately bring.
As May 24, 2025, draws near, international space agencies will monitor 2003 MH4, not because it is an imminent threat, but because it reminds us of our vulnerability in a vast and capricious universe. The capability to monitor and project the trajectory of such objects may prove to be the most vital one day to maintaining life on Earth.
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