NASA’s Planetary Radar Tracks Two Large Asteroids Approaching Earth

In accordance with POTThis mosaic shows the asteroid rotating in one-minute increments approximately 16 hours after its closest approach.
Asteroid 2024 MK

Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratoryin southern California, They recently tracked two asteroids. that passed close to our planet. One of them had a small moon orbiting it, and the other was discovered just 13 days before its closest approach to Earth. There was no risk that either of the two nearby objects would collide with our planet.but the radar observations made during these two close encounters will provide valuable practice for planetary defenseas well as information about their sizes, orbits, rotations, surface features, and clues about their composition and formation.

Two asteroids that passed close to Earth in June 2024: 2011 UL21 and 2024 MK.

Asteroid 2011 UL21

It flew close to the Earth 27th of June in the range 6.6 million kilometers (approximately 17 times the distance between the Moon and Earth), was discovered in 2011 Catalina Sky Surveyfunded by NASA, in Tucson, Arizona. But it For the first time, it came close enough to Earth that it could be photographed by radar. Although the object is almost A width of 1.5 kilometers is classified as potentially dangerous.Calculations of its future orbit show that it will not pose a threat to our planet in the foreseeable future.

Using Goldstone Solar System Radar 70 meters wide Deep Space Networkit’s called Deep Space Station 14 (DSS-14), near Barstow, California, Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory transmitted radio waves to the asteroid and received reflected signals from the same antenna.In addition to determining that the asteroid is roughly spherical, they found that It is a binary system: a smaller asteroid, or moon, orbits it at a distance of about 3 kilometers.

«Around two-thirds of asteroids this size are thought to be binary systems, and their discovery is particularly important because we can use measurements of their relative positions to estimate their mutual orbits, masses and densities, providing key information about how they may have formed.“, said Lance Bannera senior scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory who helped lead the observations.

Second Near Arrival: MK 2024

Two days later, on June 29, the same team observed asteroid 2024 MK pass through our planet the distance is only 295,000 kilometersor a little more three quarters of the distance between the Moon and the EarthThis asteroid is about the size of The width of 150 meters seems elongated and angular.with distinct flat and rounded areas. For these observations, the scientists also used DSS-14 to transmit radio waves to an objectbut they used Goldstone’s 34-meter (114-foot) DSS-13 antenna to receive the signal that bounced off the asteroid and returned to Earth. The result of this “bistatic” radar observation was a detailed image of the asteroid’s surface, showing troughs, ridges, and cliffs about 10 meters (30 feet) wide.

Close approaches of near-Earth objects of 2024 MK size are relatively rare.since they occur on average every two decades, so the JPL team was eager to collect as much data on the object as possible.”This was an exceptional opportunity to investigate the physical properties and obtain detailed images of a near-Earth asteroid.“Benner said.

Asteroid 2024 MK was first discovered on June 16, 2024. System Latest warning of asteroid impact with Earth (ATLAS), a NASA-funded satellite at the Sutherland Observatory in South Africa. During its passage, its orbit was changed by the Earth’s gravity.shortening its 3.3-year orbital period around the Sun by about 24 days. Although it is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid, calculations of its future motion indicate that it does not pose a threat to our planet in the foreseeable future.

He Goldstone Solar System Radar Array is supported by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observation Program as part of Planetary Defense Coordination Office at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.