5 asteroids set to pass near Earth before the end of 2023
It is expected that 5 asteroids will pass near Earth in the coming days until the last day of 2023, with scientists confirming that they do not pose a threat to the planet.
According to the US space agency NASA, the asteroid “2023 YD” is the first of these asteroids to approach Earth on December 28.
The width of this space rock is 28 meters, and it will approach our planet from a distance of approximately 605,000 km, while moving at a speed of 35,790 km/h.
While the asteroid is larger than the “Chelyabinsk” meteor that caused destructive damage in 2013 when its fragments collided with Earth after disintegrating in the atmosphere, it is not classified as a potentially dangerous object and is not expected to pose a threat.
The asteroids belong to the “Apollo” group of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). This type of asteroid was named after the asteroid “Apollo” in 1862, one of the largest space rocks ever discovered to have passed near Earth.
On December 29, the asteroid “2023 YZ” will pass by Earth, and during its close approach, it will reach a distance of approximately 308 million km from the surface of our planet. The width of this space rock is about 27 meters, and it is heading towards Earth at a speed of 20,199 km/h.
Earth will encounter the asteroid “2023 YM” on December 30, as it approaches the surface of our planet from a distance of about 3.8 million km. The space rock, with a width of about 37 meters, travels at a speed of 44,491 km/h.
It is expected that the asteroid “2023 XE12,” with a width of 40 meters, will pass by Earth from a distance of approximately 5.6 million km on December 31. It travels at a speed of 42,386 km/h.
The last day of December and 2023 will also witness the passage of another asteroid near Earth, named “2021 AM6,” with a width of 16 meters. It will approach the surface of our planet from a distance of 7 million km.
