According to NASA, two asteroids larger than 100 feet (30 meters) are getting closer to Earth today, June 18, 2023. The larger of the two asteroids is thought to be 110 feet (34 meters), or about the size of a building with 10 stories.
Astronomers watch the sky closely for any asteroids that might be getting too close to Earth. The asteroids and comets that are very close to our planet are tracked by the Asteroid Watch dashboard. It displays the dates of the closest approach, the space rock’s approximate diameter, and its relative size and distance from Earth. Five of these objects, the largest of which measures 180 feet (55 meters) in diameter, are expected to be close to Earth within the next few days, according to this handy instrument.
Today, 2023 LW and 2023 LV will approach Earth the closest. With a blistering speed of 28,846 kilometers per hour (17,924 miles per hour), 2023 LW will be within 1.4 million miles (2.3 million kilometers) and 2023 LV within 2.8 million miles (4.5 million kilometers).
Following the two space rocks dashing by Earth today, there will be three seriously making close methodologies throughout the following three days. 2016 LK49 is a space rock that will come within 4.1 million miles (6.7 million kilometers) of Earth on June 19, 2023. It has a diameter of about 70 feet (21 meters). On June 20, 2023, 2023 LT1 will come closest to Earth at an estimated 427,000 miles (687,000 kilometers) in diameter and have a diameter of 49 feet (15 meters). Finally, on June 21, 2023, 2023 HF1 will pass Earth at a distance of approximately 3 million miles (4.8 million kilometers), with a diameter of approximately 180 feet (55 meters).
Any object larger than 150 meters that is within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers) of Earth is considered a potentially hazardous object by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The average distance between Earth and the moon is approximately 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers), so this is about 19.5 times longer. Although none of these five asteroids are large enough to pose a threat, it is comforting to know that they can still be observed and tracked.
