NASA has issued a warning that five large tower-sized asteroids will pass close to Earth this week, from August 27 to September 1. Five tower-sized asteroids are projected to fly by Earth, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the US space agency, which keeps a close eye on these Near Earth Objects (NEOs). These flyby asteroids won't be dangerous for Earth, according to NASA, but they will be close enough for scientists and astronomers to observe them.

tower-sized asteroids
Image Source: NASA

Let's take a look at all the characteristics of the five asteroids:

Asteroid 2020 RL
On August 27, the 110-foot near-Earth asteroid 2020 RL made its approach to Earth. Although the asteroid did not pose a threat to Earth, its size and distance (46.8 million km) at the time of its approach made it an excellent subject for scientific research by asteroid enthusiasts and scientists.

Asteroid 2021 RA10
One of the asteroids that will pass by Earth is asteroid 2021 RA10, which is predicted to make its closest approach at a distance of 26.1 lakh miles on August 28. This asteroid is roughly 92 feet in size, which is comparable to the size of an aeroplane. NASA constantly keeps a close eye on these asteroids for any potential threats.

Asteroid 2012 SX49

This asteroid, which has a diameter of 64 feet and a mass comparable to a home, is headed towards Earth and will be closest on August 29. When asteroid 2012 SX49 is closest, it will be 42.9 lakh kilometres away. Although there is no threat from this either, scientists can get information by attentively studying it, which will benefit them when putting planetary defence systems in place.

Asteroid 2016 RJ20
Once again, at 64 feet in size, asteroid 2016 RJ20 is comparable to an aeroplane. This asteroid will travel 6,990,000 kilometres to be the closest it will be to Earth. It will pass by Earth on August 30.

Asteroid 2021 JT
Asteroid 2021 JT is most likely the smallest of the five asteroids that approach Earth. It is only 38 feet in size and will pass by Earth on September 1 at a safe distance of around 63.6 lakh kilometres.

These Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are discovered in the asteroids and are found in a belt between Jupiter and Mars. Asteroids are nothing more than rocky, icy, or debris left over after the formation of Earth some 4.6 billion years ago.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tracks these asteroids using the Centre for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which analyses telescope data to compute the orbits of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and assess their risk to our planet.

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