Asteroid 2024 XA zooms past Earth in just 1,355 km!

Asteroid 2024 XA zooms past Earth in just 1,355 km!

On Sunday, December 1, 2024, asteroid 2024 XA zoomed past Earth at an alarming distance of just 1,355 kilometers. Experts reported that the asteroid, which was visible over the Gesäuse in Austria, is one of the closest acquaintances to Earth since 1900. With such a flyby, the comparison with the lunar distance is informative, since 0.02 LD (Lunar Distance) does not pose an immediate risk for calm scientists anyway. Nevertheless, the impressive object, whose diameter varies between 1.3 and 2.8 meters, will plan its next visit in June 2025 - and until then remains a topic for scientific discussion, such as oe24 reported.

Important soil sampling mission completed

Another cosmic event culminated on the same day: the US space probe Osiris-Rex successfully completed its mission. On Sunday it dropped a capsule containing valuable rock samples from the asteroid Bennu into the Utah desert. At an altitude of over 100,000 kilometers, the capsule slipped away from the probe and entered the Earth's atmosphere, a risky maneuver that had to be precisely controlled. At speeds of over 44,000 kilometers per hour and temperatures of up to 2,700 degrees Celsius, surviving the last few minutes was a great success. Although a parachute opened at too high an altitude, this had no negative impact on the landing, according to NASA. NASA chief Bill Nelson said the roughly 250 grams of material recovered from Bennu could provide crucial insight into the types of asteroids that could come dangerously close to Earth in the future BR.de reported.

The findings from this seven-year mission could not only revolutionize research on near-Earth asteroids, but also advance understanding of the formation of our solar system. While Bennu may come dangerously close in 150 years, attention now turns to analyzing the samples collected to unlock the mysteries of the universe.