Large Asteroid Makes Close Approach to Earth
A sizable asteroid, estimated to be between 155 adn 310 meters in diameter – larger than a 60-story building – recently passed by Earth. Teh asteroid,designated 2022 SW12,made its closest approach on September 9,2023,according to Asteroid Day Brazil. While posing no immediate threat of impact, the event underscores the importance of ongoing planetary defense efforts.
The close passage of 2022 SW12 highlights the potential dangers posed by near-Earth objects (NEOs). The 2013 Chelyabinsk, Russia, meteor, though less than 20 meters across, injured over 1,500 people, demonstrating that even relatively small asteroids can cause meaningful harm. An object ten times larger, like 2022 SW12, would have the potential for far more serious consequences.
NASA actively tracks potentially hazardous asteroids and currently states that no known objects pose a collision risk to earth within the next 100 years. Though,the agency emphasizes that constant monitoring is crucial,as even slight deviations in an asteroid’s trajectory or errors in calculations could alter its path.
the public can track NEOs in real-time through resources provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). JPL’s online panel displays the next five asteroids scheduled to approach earth: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch/next-five-approaches/. An interactive visualization tool allows users to monitor NEOs and explore past, present, and future missions: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch/eyes-on-asteroids/. This data is provided by JPL’s Center for Near Earth Object studies (CNEOS): https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/.
