As NASA telescopes track new near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), astronomers measure the positions of the observed asteroids in the sky and report them to the Minor Planet Center. The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) then used this data to determine the asteroid’s most likely orbit around the Sun. The asteroid, named Asteroid 2023 XO7, is expected to pass closely by Earth today, December 7, according to CNEOS. Learn details about Asteroid 2023 XO7, such as speed, size, approach distance and more.
Asteroid 2023 XO7: Details
Asteroid 2023 XO7 is expected to pass Earth at a distance of only 2.4 million kilometers and a speed of 24,182 kilometers per hour, much faster than an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)! It is important to note that although it has been named a near-Earth asteroid due to its short travel distance, it is not expected to actually impact the planet.
It belongs to the group of near-Earth asteroids belonging to the Apollo group, namely space rocks that cross the Earth, whose main axis is larger than those on Earth. This asteroid is named after the large asteroid Apollo of 1862, which was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.
How big is the asteroid?
NASA has not classified asteroid 2023 XO7 as a potentially dangerous asteroid. Only celestial bodies larger than 492 feet that pass Earth at distances closer than 7.5 million kilometers are characterized this way, and Asteroid 2023 XO7 does not meet any of those requirements. In terms of size, Asteroid 2023 XO7 is almost 75 feet wide, making it almost the size of an airplane.
According to NASA, this is not the first time the asteroid 2023 XO7 has approached Earth. It first approached the planet on November 16, 1961, when it passed by at a distance of about 55 million kilometers. After today, it will pass Earth again on March 26, 2155, covering a distance of nearly 70 million kilometers.
2023-12-26 05:32:41
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