The American space agency is keeping a close eye on a massive asteroid that could eventually smash into Earth.
The asteroid, known as JF1 is designated a 'near-Earth object' (NEO) meaning it orbits the sun and comes close enough to our planet to cause concern.
'Some asteroids and comets follow orbital paths that take them much closer to the Sun and therefore Earth – than usual,' Nasa explained. 'If a comet's or asteroid's approach brings it to within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun, we call it a Near-Earth object.'
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According to NASA, NEOs are all comets and asteroids that orbit the Sun from a distance of 1.3 astronomical units (au).
NASA said: “Some asteroids and comets follow orbital paths that take them much closer to the Sun and therefore Earth – than usual.
“If a comet’s or asteroid’s approach brings it to within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun, we call it a Near-Earth object.”
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The asteroid is estimated to measure somewhere in the range of 62.3ft to 144.3ft (19m to 44m) across.
Meteor that lit up St.
A bright blue flash that streaked through the sky over St. Louis Monday evening was an approximately 220-pound chunk of rock that broke off an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter before it entered Earth’s atmosphere, Bill Cooke, of the NASA Meteoroid Environments Office in Alabama, said Tuesday, according to a report.
The fireball was traveling at about 33,500 mph and caused a sonic boom, NASA scientists said, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Meteor seen above St. Louis broke off asteroid belt: report
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Japan's Space Probe Is Returning to Earth With an Actual Piece of Asteroid
Japan's Hayabusa-2 probe will leave its orbit around a distant asteroid and head for Earth on Wednesday after an unprecedented mission, carrying samples that could shed light on the origins of the Solar System.
The long voyage home would begin at 10:05 am (0105 GMT), with the probe expected to drop off its precious samples some time late 2020, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.
"We expect Hayabusa-2 will provide new scientific knowledge to us," project manager Yuichi Tsuda told reporters.
Asteroid News: Apophis 'God of Chaos' asteroid will definitely strike Earth on this
In an interview with Express.co.uk, Michael Horn, who works for someone who says they have spoken to aliens, explained that he and his research team were confident in their findings and argued it was imperative world leaders prepared to deflect the space rock.
He said: “Apophis will strike the Earth either April 13th 2029 or April 2026 if it isn’t deflected.
“Apophis will, with certainty, impact the Earth between the North Sea and the Black Sea on April 13th 2029, less than 10 years or April 13th 2036.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Really Isn't Worth $700 Quadrillion - Barron's
Consumer technology outlet CNET tweeted out a picture of the asteroid 16 Psyche over the weekend, calling it the most valuable object in the solar system. That's because it is mostly metal, leading some to wonder how much gold can be found in "them thar space-hills."
The tweet repeated an oft-reported value for Psyche of $700 quintillion. For those keeping score, quintillion comes after quadrillion, which comes after trillion. A quintillion is a million times a trillion. Seven hundred quintillion has a 7 followed by 20 zeros.
NASA Reverses Course After Giving Asteroid Nazi Name
It's the furthest celestial object we've ever visited with a spacecraft — asteroid Ultima Thule has been fascinating scientists ever since NASA's New Horizons spacecraft visited it last winter.
Now it's back in the news for an embarrassing reason: NASA renamed the space rock on Tuesday after backlash about its old name's Nazi connotations, Agence France-Press reports .
NASA's new name for the asteroid is "Arrokoth," meaning "sky" in the Native American Pohatan language.
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Oh good, more not remotely damning science news... 🙄 https://t.co/1CuQwz8vSJ MetroUK Thu Nov 14 17:30:06 +0000 2019
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