A massive asteroid, dubbed Asteroid 2006 HV5, is hurtling towards Earth at breakneck speed and will make its closest approach on April 26, NASA has warned. While it is not expected to cause a catastrophic event, the 1000-foot asteroid is almost the size of the Empire State Building and can cause regional damage if it were to hit a crowded city. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is home to most of the asteroids in the solar system, and MIT scientists have developed a new method to study their internal structure based on their spin. This technique could help future missions, including the DART mission, which aims to deflect dangerous asteroids that are on a collision course with Earth.
Asteroid 2006 HV5, travelling at a whopping 62,723 km/h, will come within 2.4 million km of Earth on April 27. Although it is not expected to be a planet-killer, NASA has issued a warning against it, given its massive size. Smaller asteroids like this one have the potential to cause regional damage, and it is crucial to keep track of them to avoid any potential disaster. The MIT scientists' research on the internal structure of asteroids will help in this regard.
The internal structure of an asteroid is critical to understanding its behavior and trajectory. The spin of the asteroid changes when it makes a close approach to other celestial objects, such as planets, and this can help scientists determine the asteroid's weight distribution and internal structure. The MIT scientists will apply this technique to study the internal structure of Apophis, a Near-Earth Asteroid that is not expected to impact Earth anytime soon but could cause massive damage if it were to change trajectory. Understanding the internal structure of asteroids will be critical in future missions to deflect dangerous asteroids that are on a collision course with Earth.
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