### Four Massive Asteroids to Whiz by Earth, No Threat Detected

A set of four notably large asteroids, two of which were identified this month, will approach Earth on Thursday, October 24th. These "potentially hazardous" space rocks, although coming relatively close, pose no risk to life on our planet.

The series of near-Earth visits will begin with the asteroid 2015 HM1, measuring around 100 feet (30 meters) across. It will come the closest to our planet at 4:36 a.m. UTC (0:36 a.m. EDT), maintaining a minimum distance of 3.4 million miles (5.5 million kilometers) from Earth, which is roughly fourteen times the average gap between Earth and the moon, according to NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard.

Following this, the asteroid 2024 TP17, which is about 170 feet wide (52 meters), will make its closest approach at approximately 8:20 a.m. UTC (4:20 a.m. EDT), getting to within 2.9 million miles (4.7 million kilometers) from our planet.

The largest of the four, 2002 NV16, spans around 580 feet (177 meters). It will pass Earth at a distance of 2.8 million miles (4.5 million kilometers) at 15:47 p.m. UTC (11:47 a.m. EDT). Just four minutes later, the 150-foot-wide (46 meters) asteroid 2024 TR6 will come within 3.5 million miles (5.6 million kilometers) of Earth at 15:51 p.m. UTC (11:51 a.m. EDT).

Interestingly, two of these space rocks, 2024 TP17 and 2024 TR6, were only discovered earlier this month, on October 12th and October 7th respectively. This late discovery is not uncommon; each year, astronomers identify approximately 2,000 near-Earth asteroids, most of which emerge as they approach our planet closely, notes the Catalina Sky Survey.

These asteroids are labeled "potentially hazardous" due to their orbits bringing them within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of Earth. While most are not large enough to cause significant damage in the hypothetical event of a collision, the largest impending rock, 2002 NV16, is sufficiently massive to obliterate a large city and prompt global repercussions.

Despite their proximity to Earth, these space rocks won't be visible without specialized imaging. However, scientists hope to capture radar images during their flybys, which might provide valuable insights into these newly spotted celestial bodies. Previous captures have revealed unique asteroid shapes and unexpected trajectory changes for other substantial space rocks.

Moreover, some of these rocks will return in future decades for even closer encounters with Earth. Specifically, asteroid 2024 TR6 is projected to pass at 1.2 million miles (1.9 million kilometers) from Earth on August 5, 2039, and 2024 TP17 will approach within 1.3 million miles (2.1 million kilometers) on October 25, 2040.