Overall, 32,103 near-Earth asteroids of all sizes have been discovered. Zoom in to travel along with your favorite spacecraft as they explore these fascinating near-Earth objects in beautiful 3D. Additionally, one the size of a bus and another the size of a building, will pass by Earth Tuesday.Īs of June 1, NASA has discovered 10,472 asteroids that are larger than 460 feet, with an estimated 15,000 left to be found. Fully interactive, Eyes on Asteroids uses science data to help visualize asteroid and comet orbits around the Sun.
Two other asteroids, each roughly the size of an airplane, will also pass by Monday. The asteroid has made several close approaches to Earth in the past and is expected to make at least three more over the next three decades, according to .ġ994 XD is not the only asteroid that will pass Earth this week. This asteroid orbits the planet every 1,310 days, roughly equivalent to about three-and-a-half years. Near-Earth objects are entities such as asteroids and comets that orbit the sun like the planets do. NASAs Web WorldWind, which is a digital globe, is freely available, as is the agencys General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), which can generate a time series.
1994 XD might be hard to see with the naked eye because it will be passing Earth at roughly 48,000 miles per hour, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies.