NASA warns of an asteroid roughly the size of a 35-storey building zooming towards Earth: All details here

A 370-ft asteroid named 2023 KU is travelling towards Earth at a speed of over 64,000 kilometres per hour, NASA has warned. Roughly the size of a 35-storey building, the asteroid is all set to move past Earth at the speed of 64,827 km/h on Friday, April 11th, 2025, at 9:05 PM IST.

This asteroid is a part of the Apollo group of asteroids, which are popular for crossing the planet's orbit and occasionally venturing too close. While the 2023 KU is expected to pass the planet at a safe distance of 1 million kilometres, the concern remains as objects of such big size can be knocked off slightly by gravitational forces or undetected variations in their paths.

What are Apollo Asteroids?

Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth objects (NEOs) whose orbits intersect with Earth's orbit around the sun. With their close proximity to the planet, it is important to monitor their movements as even if they pass by, they might change trajectory at the last moment and cause irreparable damage.

What would be the impact of 2023 KU hitting Earth?

If the asteroid were to hit the planet, the resulting destruction would be equivalent to that of nuclear bombs, wiping out entire regions and cities. In 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor was only about 59 feet wide and still injured over 1500 people and damaged thousands of buildings. The 2023 KU is six times bigger than the Chelyabinsk meteor.

Who protects us from asteroids and meteors?

Well, NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) and worldwide observatories monitor near-Earth objects. The data is collected by telescopes like Pan-STARRS and Catalina and planetary radar systems like JPL's Goldstone Radar.

In simple terms — while asteroid 2023 KU is expected to safely pass Earth, it reminds us why constant tracking of space rocks is so important. With powerful telescopes and radar systems keeping an eye on the skies, space agencies like NASA are working around the clock to make sure we’re not caught off guard.