End of the year 2024: asteroids ‘threaten’ Earth 11 times this year

Last update:January 1, 2025, 15:42 IST

Many of these interactions could be described as potentially dangerous, although most of the time they did not pose a significant threat.

These are the occasions when asteroids were observed closely because they were close to our planet. (Photo credits: X)

Several asteroids were reported to pass by Earth in 2024, with some described as threatening. Many of these interactions could be described as potentially dangerous, although most of the time they did not pose a significant threat. These are the occasions when asteroids were observed closely because they were close to our planet.

1. Asteroid 2024 XW15: Asteroid 2024 It reached 6,460,000 kilometers, more than 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
2. Asteroid 2024 XC16: On the same day, the asteroid 2024 XC16, 30 meters in size, passed close to Earth at a speed of 75,000 km/h. Its closest approach was 3.28 million miles. At no time was any danger of impact observed.
3. Asteroid 2024 XS: Asteroid 2024 XS, with an estimated width of about 30 meters, flew safely by on December 12 at a distance of 3.0 million kilometers. This meeting offered researchers the best opportunity to study its structure without the risk associated with passage.
4. Asteroid 2024 WP11: Again, on December 12, a fairly large asteroid 2024 WP11, around 68 feet in size, approached at a distance of 3.72 million miles. Scientists took this as an opportunity to study its physical properties.
5. Asteroid 2024 VK3: NASA observed asteroid 2024 VK3, which ranged between 28 and 62 feet on November 16 and closest approach to Earth was 273,000 miles. It was only about 40,000 kilometers above the average distance of the Moon and was not dangerous.
6. Asteroid 2024 RN16: Asteroid 2024 RN16 was reported to be approaching Earth at a speed of 104,761 km/h on September 14. It was part of the Apollo OCT category and could converge with the Earth’s orbit. But it is not a threat since it passed safely and without a collision.
7. Asteroid 2024 ON: On September 17, the small but still considerable asteroid 2024 ON was flying at a distance of 997,793 kilometers (about 2.5 moon orbit distances) from Earth, while its size was about 720 feet. It was said to be alarming at a speed of 40,233 km/h, but posed no threat to Earth.
8. Asteroid 2024 TA7: On October 13, another approximately 40-meter asteroid, asteroid 2024 TA7, passed close to Earth, at a distance of 328,000 kilometers.
9. Asteroid 2024 MK: Seen just a few days before its flyby on July 29, asteroid 2024 MK was between 120 and 260 meters in diameter and came within 290,000 kilometers of our planet. Although it was classified as a large near-Earth object, there was no danger of collision.
10. Asteroid 2018 XU3: On December 11, asteroid 2018 XU3 passed close to Earth, about 4 million kilometers away. Its size was described to be approximately 389 feet and therefore scientists used it to analyze larger OCT structures.
11. Asteroid 2024 Z11: The next astronomical encounter was recorded on December 11 with the asteroid 2024 Z11, 71 feet in size and at a distance of 2.92 million miles from our planet.