A pair of asteroids, beautifully depicted in an artistic rendering, are set to safely pass by Earth on Saturday, June 29, 2024. One of these asteroids, named 2024 MK, was first spotted by South African astronomers and is estimated to be between 393 feet to 853 feet wide. It will make its closest approach to Earth at 9:46 AM EST, passing by at about three-quarters of the distance from Earth to the moon.
As a quiz begins, it asks about the primary location of most asteroids in our solar system – the Asteroid Belt located between Mars and Jupiter. Jupiter’s gravity prevented these space rocks from forming more planets in this region, leaving behind the remnants that make up the Asteroid Belt.
The next question delves into the composition of asteroids – primarily made up of rock with some clay, silicate, nickel and iron. Another question revolves around NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission that collected samples from an asteroid called 101955 Bennu and returned them to Earth for further study.
Lastly, scientists have observed water gullies on the asteroid Vesta in 2015 – caused by water ice melting and trickling on the surface after a collision with a smaller asteroid. These discoveries have given scientists a better understanding of our solar system’s celestial bodies.
