At 11:25 AM yesterday (Vietnam time), the large asteroid 2004 XP14 came very close to Earth. This asteroid was located 432,308 kilometers away, just slightly more than the average distance between the Moon and Earth, making it visible to anyone with a medium-sized telescope and some experience.
NASA deployed a 70-meter radar at the Goldstone facility in the Mojave Desert (California, USA) to determine the shape, mass, and size of the asteroid.
Discovered by American scientists on December 10, 2004, 2004 XP14 has the potential to devastate a small country on Earth. It has a diameter ranging from 410 to 920 meters and belongs to the Apollo group (which includes a total of 1,989 recorded asteroids), meaning its orbit intersects with that of Earth.
Although 2004 XP14 does not pose a direct threat to Earth, the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge (Massachusetts) has classified it as a “potentially hazardous” asteroid due to its size and orbit. Currently, there are approximately 783 such “hazardous” objects identified. Among them is the asteroid Apophis, which has a diameter of 300 meters and is expected to fly past Earth at a distance of 32,000 kilometers on April 13, 2029.
 |  |
Position of Apollo Asteroid 2004 XP14 near Earth | Image of asteroid 2004 XP14 |
DUY VĂN
