A few months ago, an asteroid caused a sensation. At one point, asteroids had a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth in 2024, creating many headlines about their potential impact. The threat has almost disappeared, but we now have pictures of what was once a worrisome asteroid.
NASA's James Webb space telescope captured images of asteroids with two cameras, including near-infrared cameras and mid-infrared instruments. The former measures reflected light, while the latter shows thermal energy. The images were released by the European Space Agency last week. These pictures show some interesting facts about the asteroid: It is the smallest object targeted by the JWST instrument to date, and it is one of the smallest objects directly measured ever.
It is estimated that the asteroid is initially placed within a range of about 40 to 90 meters. The actual size is 60 meters or about 180 feet. “These measurements suggest that such asteroids do not share the observed property in larger asteroids,” the European Space Agency said in its post. “This may be a combination of its rapid spin and lack of fine-grained sand on its surface. However, further research is needed, which is believed to be consistent with rock-dominated surfaces about the size of a fist or larger.”
According to NASA, asteroids can only be seen from Earth for longer. Its orbit is now moving it away from Earth, and the agency estimates it will disappear from its strongest telescope tools in late April or early May. NASA said the asteroid would not be able to see again until the orbit brings it back to Earth in 2028.
Asteroids may hit the moon
The 2024 asteroid caused a big sensation when it first passed the secondary planet center report in December 2024. According to data collected by its trajectory at the time, asteroids had a 1.3% chance of hitting Earth.
The percentage fluctuated in the following months, up to 3.1%. After further research, the chance dropped sharply to 0.28%. According to NASA's Sentinel Tool, the tool monitors asteroids that may affect Earth, with the threat now being 0.00078%.
The moon may not be so lucky. According to NASA, the chances of asteroids affecting the moon are about 3.8%, even higher than the chances of an asteroid affecting the Earth. Scientists collect data before the asteroid disappears, but we may not know more until the asteroid returns to view in 2028.
