Massive Asteroid As Big As An Airplane To Zoom Past Earth On July 4, Says NASA
Belonging to the Aten group of asteroids whose orbits often cross Earth's path, 2025 MV89 is being monitored closely by NASA. However, the agency has clarified that there is no threat from this flyby. For an asteroid to be classified as hazardous, it must be over 150 metres wide and come within 7.4 million kilometres. This object meets neither condition.
Still, space agencies are vigilant. Even small orbital shifts could alter future paths, so tracking continues.
India's space agency ISRO is also stepping up planetary defence strategies. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath recently emphasised the need to monitor larger objects like asteroid Apophis, expected to pass Earth in 2029. He also highlighted the importance of collaborating with NASA, ESA, and JAXA to develop stronger systems for asteroid detection and response.
ISRO is working on missions that could land on asteroids to assess risks and study ways to protect Earth from potential impacts. While 2025 MV89 poses no danger, it acts as a reminder of the importance of constant space surveillance.
Events like this reinforce the need for international collaboration in ensuring Earth remains safe from celestial threats.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Gp Capt. Shukla shares experience of life aboard ISS with students
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) had a brief interaction with students who had gathered at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) here on Friday. He interacted with the student community via ham radio which lasted about 10 minutes. The interaction overseen by the Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) saw the participation of approximately 70 students who posed questions on the Indian astronauts journey to the space station and daily routine in the orbiting laboratory. 'One-and-a-half days (journey to the ISS) and thereafter you get to see the ISS... It was very exciting to see and the entire process of how the capsule approaches the station and then positions itself right in line with the docking port and thereafter goes ahead and docks into the port. It was a very, very exciting moment for me,' Gp Capt. Shukla said replying to a question. His Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) was launched on June 25, 2025, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After a 28-and-a-half-hour journey on the ISS Dragon spacecraft, Gp Capt. Shukla and other crew members reached ISS. He also spoke about the complex docking process. 'So when we landed in the space station, there were two crew members who were able to reach the docking port. And thereafter you get to see the International Space Station, which is going to be your home for the next 14 days,' he said. The Gp Capt. also spoke about the experiments he has been conducting in the space station and how sleeping is a challenge there. 'We have to tie our sleeping bags,' he said.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Shubhanshu Shukla says excitement to do more experiments posing difficulty to fall asleep
Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to reach the International Space Station (ISS), Friday spoke with Indian students during his first ham radio interaction from onboard the space laboratory. 'The most difficult task is to go to sleep, because of the excitement and wanting to do more and more experiments…,' he said. 'I am doing a lot of experiments and these are challenging and exciting. All of these experiments have been planned by ISRO-NASA. But there are a few that I particularly like, especially the one on stem cells. We know there is limited time (onboard the ISS) but we want to do more and more (experiments). But we need to get rest to do the experiments,' said Shukla, along with demonstrating maneuvers and space-moves to be done to get tasks done. He also showed students his sleeping bag. Shukla was live on ham radio for less than ten minutes when the ISS was passing close to the horizon around 3.47pm on Friday, July 4. The ham radio communication was made to the UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru via telebridge (partly phone-partly ham connection), with the ground station located in Greenbelt, Maryland, US. Shukla was given a set of select questions prepared by students from all over India, who were shortlisted under three categories. Nearly 145 students joined live from Thiruvananthapuram and a similar number connected from Lucknow and Bengaluru. As the ISS orbits the Earth at an average speed of over 27,000 km/hr making 16 orbits/day, the best possible bandwidth for establishing ham radio communication generally lasts for just five to eight minutes. Shukla's voice was filled with excitement as he took on the questions and gave quick, short answers each ending with 'over' — hinting at the next question he was proceeding to take up. Shukla spoke about the ride onboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon on June 25, the tiny capsule, the accelerating speeds and the one-and-a-half days of 'floating' in space till docking at the ISS and how his body faced hardships in adapting to the new conditions in space. The Axiom-4 mission is led by NASA, in partnership with ISRO and the European Space Agency. On the role of this international collaboration, Shukla said: ' I think international collaboration is the key for the success of a mission to the ISS and space. Even for our mission, Axiom-4, ISRO, NASA and ESA… everyone came together to make this mission happen. I have realised the power of global collaboration. Working with many people of different nationalities is an entirely exciting experience. So definitely, global collaboration is the key and I look forward to more such missions.' Indian food also touched 'new heights' with Shukla's Ax-4. He is carrying with him three delicacies – aamaras, moong dal halwa, and gajar halwa. 'These foods were prepared by ISRO in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (ISRO). I shared these foods with everybody and they loved and appreciated it.' The Earth's view from space, Shukla said, was the most beautiful one from onboard the ISS. 'The most exciting part about being in space is looking back at earth from the vantage point. It is big, very beautiful and reminded me of how fortunate we are to be on this planet. It is also a realisation of how important this planet is with everything we have.' Shukla will make the second and final communication using ham radio at 2.08pm on July 8 with the Human Spaceflight Center at the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) in Meghalaya.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Watch: NASA Mission Captures First Close Look At Peanut-Shaped Asteroid
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released the first-ever high-resolution image of the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, highlighting its unique peanut shape. This came after NASA's Lucy mission had a key encounter with this asteroid in the solar system's main asteroid belt on April 20. This fly-by was a crucial milestone as it prepares for its primary mission of exploring Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. The spacecraft took high-resolution images using its L'LORRI imager a few minutes before its closest approach to the peanut-shaped space rock. The images show that Donaldjohanson has an elongated shape, resembling a peanut with a rough and cratered surface. The images show that the asteroid is larger than previously thought - it is approximately 8 km long and 3.5 km wide at its widest point. It rotates very slowly, with one rotation completed in 251 hours. The Lucy mission team is analysing the data collected during the fly-by to better understand the asteroid's structure and composition, according to a statement by the space agency. Sharing the image, NASA wrote, 'Asteroid Donaldjohanson as seen by the Lucy spacecraft from a range of about 1,700 miles (2,700 km), about 3.2 minutes before closest approach on April 20, 2025. This is the highest resolution image yet of the entire asteroid, taken just before it overfilled the L'LORRI field of view. The smallest visible features are about 130 feet (40 meters) across. The illumination conditions, with the Sun almost behind Lucy, greatly reduce the contrast of topographic details.' The asteroid is named after anthropologist Donald Johanson, who discovered the fossilised skeleton — called 'Lucy' — of a human ancestor. NASA's Lucy mission is named for the fossil, the agency said. NASA scientists said the "successful dress rehearsal" proves the team and spacecraft were ready for their main objective - exploring the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. The spacecraft is now in a quiet cruise period, travelling through the main asteroid belt at over 30,000 mph (50,000 km/h). When Lucy reaches the Trojan asteroids, it will make four encounters and observe at least six asteroids (including two satellites identified by the Lucy team) in less than 15 months. The first encounter will take place in August 2027, with the asteroid Eurybates.
