School bus-sized asteroid set to make its closest approach to Earth this weekend

A near-Earth asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth on Sunday, February 4. Dubbed 2011 MD, the asteroid will pass 15,000,000 km away from Earth - less than 10% of the distance of Earth to its next nearest planet, Mars - and will not be visible with the naked eye.

Asteroid 2011 MD orbits the sun every 396 days and its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit. This will not be the asteroid's last close approach as it will again come near our planet in August this year.

"While the likelihood of a direct hit on land is reduced due to Earth's vast oceans, the potential impact of an asteroid remains a serious concern. NASA continues to discover and track asteroids, with the goal of completing the survey of all significant NEOs (Near-Earth objects), an essential step in planetary defence. Also, the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission was crucial in demonstrating our capability to target and alter the orbit of an asteroid during a high-speed encounter. With its successful execution, DART has shown that we have the technology and expertise needed for asteroid deflection. Consequently, this significantly reduces concerns about potential asteroid threats," said Dr Minjae Kim, Research Fellow, Department of Physics, University of Warwick.

Asteroid 2011 MD will be visible with a telescope.

Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) are of considerable interest to scientists due to their frequent close approaches to Earth, which provide unique opportunities for study and observation, as well as challenges for planetary defense.

NEAs make close approaches to Earth with varying frequencies, depending on their specific orbits. These close approaches enable astronomers to study the asteroids' physical characteristics in detail using telescopes. While the majority of close-approaching NEAs do not pose any immediate threat to Earth, the possibility of future impacts makes it crucial to track and monitor their trajectories.