Last week, a colossal asteroid, equivalent in size to a 20-story building, passed uncomfortably close to Earth, coming within about a quarter of the distance between our planet and the moon.
This space rock, now named 2023 NT1, measures roughly 200 feet wide (60 meters) and was hurtling at an estimated speed of 53,000 mph (86,000 km/h) as it traversed past us on July 13. Surprisingly, astronomers were unaware of its presence until two days later due to the asteroid approaching Earth from the direction of the sun, causing telescopes to be blinded by the sun’s glare until it had already passed.
It wasn’t until July 15 that astronomers caught sight of the asteroid through a telescope in South Africa, which is part of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) – an array of telescopes designed to identify asteroids several days to weeks before any potential impact.
Subsequently, more than a dozen other telescopes spotted the asteroid shortly after its exit from our vicinity, as reported by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.
Despite the surprise encounter, asteroid 2023 NT1 poses no immediate danger, as its size is not significant enough to be considered a potentially hazardous object. After analyzing its trajectory for the next decade, astronomers confirmed that there is no imminent risk of it colliding with Earth.
Notably, recent research indicates that our planet should be safe from asteroids, especially those capable of causing mass extinctions, for at least the next 1,000 years.
However, the sun remains a well-known blind spot in the search for near-Earth asteroids, and 2023 NT1 is not the first stealthy space rock to slip past our detection. In 2013, a roughly 59-foot-long (18 meters) asteroid followed a similar path through the sun’s glare and went undetected until it exploded in the sky over Chelyabinsk, Russia.
The explosion caused a shock wave that damaged buildings and shattered glass for miles around, resulting in injuries to nearly 1,500 people (with no fatalities).
Given the dangers posed by this solar blind spot, scientists closely monitor over 31,000 known near-Earth asteroids. Nonetheless, they are well aware of the need to address this threat.
To this end, the European Space Agency is actively working on the NEOMIR mission, planned to launch around 2030. The NEOMIR satellite will orbit between Earth and the sun, aiming to detect large asteroids hidden within the sun’s shine and enhance our ability to protect against potential impacts.
