NASA has announced an alert regarding a large asteroid, named 2024 ON, which is set to make a close approach to Earth. This asteroid, measuring 290 meters (approximately 950 feet) across, will pass within 1 million kilometers of our planet.
The asteroid was first detected by NASA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program, which employs observatories worldwide to identify and track undiscovered near-Earth objects. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the U.S. is currently monitoring its trajectory.
The last time 2024 ON passed near Earth was in 2013, and it is expected to return again in 2035. It is currently traveling at speeds of around 40,000 kilometers per hour, as captured by the Virtual Telescope Project.
While 2024 ON will reach a minimum distance of 2.6 times that of the average lunar distance, it poses no immediate threat to Earth. However, even slight deviations in its path could potentially have significant consequences.
Despite its large size, which makes it considerably larger than most near-Earth objects, it will not be visible to the naked eye without a telescope. Interestingly, on the same day as the asteroid's closest approach, sky watchers will be treated to a rare partial lunar eclipse coinciding with a supermoon. This celestial event will be visible across Europe and Africa, with some visibility in parts of North and South America and Asia.
Additionally, later this month, a smaller asteroid, measuring only 10 meters across, will temporarily become a "mini moon" as it orbits Earth for a two-month period.
NASA 發出警報：體積如體育場的隕石接近地球
NASA 宣布了一個警報，關於一顆大型隕石，名為 2024 ON，將要接近地球。這顆隕石的直徑為 290 米（約 950 英尺），將在距離我們的星球 100 萬公里的範圍內通過。
這顆隕石最初是由 NASA 的近地天體（NEO）觀測計劃發現的，該計劃利用全球的天文台來識別和追蹤尚未發現的近地天體。美國的噴氣推進實驗室目前正監測它的軌跡。
2024 ON 上一次接近地球是在 2013 年，預計在 2035 年再次回來。根據虛擬望遠鏡計劃的捕捉，它目前以約 40,000 公里每小時的速度行駛。
雖然 2024 ON 將以比平均月球距離多 2.6 倍的最小距離經過，但它對地球並不構成直接威脅。然而，即使是微小的軌道偏差也可能帶來重大後果。
儘管它的體積很大，遠超過大多數近地天體，但在沒有望遠鏡的情況下將無法用肉眼看到。有趣的是，在隕石最近接近的同一天，天文愛好者將欣賞到一場稀有的部分月食，恰好與超級滿月同時出現。這一天文現象將在歐洲和非洲可見，部分北美、南美和亞洲地區也能觀賞。
此外，在本月稍後，一顆直徑僅 10 米的小隕石將暫時成為“迷你月球”，在地球的軌道上運行兩個月。
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