Asteroid 2015 MA54 – Key Information
- Asteroid 2015 MA54 belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids.
- It was discovered and tracked by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
- The asteroid was involved in the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) conducted by NASA on September 26, 2022.
- After the DART mission, the Hubble Space Telescope captured 37 smaller space rocks that broke off the asteroid upon impact.
Details of Asteroid 2015 MA54’s Close Approach
- Asteroid 2015 MA54 will come extremely close to Earth on July 24, 2023.
- At its closest point, it will be approximately 6.3 million kilometers away from Earth.
- The asteroid is hurtling towards us at a remarkable speed of 33136 kilometers per hour.
- With a width of 97 feet, it is larger than the Chelyabinsk asteroid that caused significant damage in 2013.
Other Notable Details
- Asteroid 2015 MA54 belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids.
- The Apollo group comprises Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth’s.
- The group is named after the 1862 Apollo asteroid discovered by astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.
- This asteroid previously made its closest approach to Earth on June 25, 2015, at a distance of 2.6 million kilometers.
- NASA predicts that the asteroid will make its next closest approach to Earth in nearly 100 years, on September 9, 2117, coming as close as 8.3 million kilometers.
Conclusion
In summary, the debris from the DART mission resulted in the release of smaller space rocks from the target asteroid. Meanwhile, NASA is closely monitoring the trajectory of Asteroid 2015 MA54 as it makes an extremely close approach to Earth today. Although not a planet killer, this asteroid is significant in size and warrants attention. With NASA’s ongoing efforts to track and study asteroids, we gain valuable insights into potential threats and planetary defense strategies.
