A Cosmic Snowman Just Zoomed Past Earth: The Bizarre Asteroid That’s Left Scientists in Awe
Asteroid “2024 ON” Resembles a Snowman, Passing Close to Earth
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has released a detailed photo of the asteroid “2024 ON” that recently passed close to Earth.
Asteroid 2024 ON has a diameter of approximately 290 meters and passed at a speed of 31,933 kilometers per hour at a distance of about 1 million kilometers from Earth. This distance is roughly 2.6 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, but from a cosmic perspective, it is considered a close pass.
The asteroid’s unique shape, resembling a snowman or peanut, has garnered significant attention from experts. It is believed that 2024 ON formed through the gentle collision of two celestial bodies under the influence of gravity.
Arrokoth, located in the Kuiper Belt, an area at the end of the solar system, also has a snowman shape similar to 2024 ON. NASA has classified 2024 ON as a potentially threatening asteroid, but it is unlikely to pose a risk in the foreseeable future.
NASA is currently tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs) that pass within about 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit, with a total of 29,000 objects being monitored. Among these, asteroids with a diameter of 460 feet or more that approach Earth within about 4.7 million miles are classified as “potentially threatening asteroids” (PHAs).
These asteroids are considered potentially hazardous because even an asteroid with a diameter of about 460 feet could devastate a country if it were to crash into Earth. However, many celestial bodies remain undiscovered, posing a challenge for astronomers and space agencies.