NASA estimates that asteroid XN1 flies at a velocity of 23 729 km/h and will fly past the Earth on December 24. The stretch of the asteroid is about 120Ft or 37 meters which when double the normal size of commercial aircraft. It will pass Earth at 7:5.57 AM PST as per the report by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
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JPL has cited that 2024 XN1 is not a potentially hazardous asteroid as defined by NASA standards. According to NASA, asteroids are considered potentially hazardous if they exceed 150 meters in size and come within 4.6 million miles (7.4 million kilometres) from Earth. Due to its relatively small size and distance, XN1 shall safely move outside this risk zone. The asteroid has been described as one that is close but poses no threat.
On December 25, two additional asteroids, 2020 XY and 2020 YM1, are expected to pass near Earth. However, NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has confirmed that these asteroids do not pose any threat to the planet. The proximity of these objects offers an opportunity for skywatchers while Earth remains completely safe.
NASA continuously monitors near-Earth objects using advanced tracking systems. Observatories such as the NEOWISE telescope in space, along with ground-based systems like Pan-STARRS1 in Hawaii and the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, track thousands of these objects. These systems play a crucial role in ensuring Earth’s safety from potential asteroid threats.
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