Asteroid Alarm: NASA’s Latest Earth-Bound Discovery
NASA Monitors High-Speed Asteroid Approaching Earth at 24548 kmph! Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing across sectors, notably aiding India in successfully landing a lunar South Pole lander. Algorithms have even become instrumental in asteroid detection.
The University of Washington’s study highlights HelioLinc3D, an algorithm that spotted the potentially hazardous Asteroid 2022 SF289 in Hawaii during tests. NASA, utilizing advanced technology, has also unveiled a new asteroid, Asteroid 2023 QK5, headed for Earth.
Asteroid 2023 QK5: The Facts Asteroid 2023 QK5, set to approach Earth on August 29, is drawing attention. NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) reveals it will come closest at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers, reaching speeds of 24548 kmph – nearly akin to a space shuttle! Belonging to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, it’s named after the substantial 1862 Apollo asteroid.
Though Asteroid 2023 QK5 is around 37 feet wide, classified as non-hazardous, it’s a reminder of potential dangers. Despite small sizes, impacts can still be destructive, as seen with the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor.
Algorithm-Driven Asteroid Hunting The HelioLinc3D algorithm’s success in detecting Asteroid 2022 SF289 heralds new horizons in asteroid observation. This algorithm, now employed at Chile’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory, scans Rubin’s dataset for asteroid identification. Expected to be operational in 2025, the observatory aims to delve into Milky Way secrets and potentially hazardous asteroid detection.