Asteroid 2014 TN17, a massive space boulder, is speeding towards Earth at a divine speed of 77,282 km/h. Approximately 540 feet (165 meters) wide, about twice the size of the Taj Mahal, the asteroid made headlines because of its enormity and potential danger. Designated as a potentially dangerous asteroid (PHA), 2014 TN17 will pass safely by Earth on 26 March 2025, at 5:04 PM IST. While it will pass safely by Earth at a distance of 5 million kilometers—more than 13 times the distance between the Moon and Earth—the status of the asteroid as a PHA has been taken extremely seriously.
NASA warns asteroid 2014 TN17 could shift orbits
A PHA is an asteroid that is big enough and close enough to Earth to be a potential threat in the future. A PHA may cross Earth’s orbit, and a shift in its trajectory—either due to the gravitational pull of other planets or collision with space debris—can make it crash into our planet. Asteroids like 2014 TN17, though innocuous at the present time, still evoke a brow whenever they come close to the planet since at some future date they may be able to change direction. Apollo
NASA monitors 2014 TN17 for potential Earth threat
2014 TN17 is an Apollo family near-Earth object (NEO), one class of asteroids that crosses the orbit of Earth. These bodies, while in most instances safely passing by the Earth, have the potential to strike our planet in the future if their orbits are altered. The Apollo asteroids are being closely watched by astronomers because a small deviation in their path would be catastrophic for Earth in the form of a catastrophic collision.
To prevent a potential disaster, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) of NASA and other space organizations globally keep close tabs on asteroids like 2014 TN17 around the clock.
These organisations leverage a mix of NASA-granted telescopes, radar, and observations from amateur astronomers worldwide to monitor the orbits of space rocks. With all that, most asteroids never make it discovered until it’s too late and are already on course for Earth. This indicates the level of concern there is towards constant monitoring and early warning in order to knock out any potential threats.
Potential disaster caused by asteroid 2014 TN17
While 2014 TN17 will pass safely close to the Earth at a distance of 5 million kilometers, the effects of impact from an asteroid of this size would be devastating.
If a 540-foot asteroid were to strike, scientists have estimated that the energy released would be the equivalent of hundreds of nuclear explosions. Such an explosion would level a whole area, ignite gigantic firestorms, and disrupt global climate patterns for centuries to come. To put this into perspective, the 1908 Tunguska explosion—the tremendous explosion in Siberia which flattened 2,000 square kilometers of timber—resulted from an asteroid or comet half as broad as 2014 TN17. If something similar in size struck over a major city today, hundreds of thousands would be dead, and the number of dead could reach the millions.
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