NASA Finds Eight Potentially Hazardous Asteroids Around Earth. Is One Headed Our Way?

NASA discovered eight more asteroids that may have Earth's name written on them.

These eight objects were classified as Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHA) based on size and proximity to Earth. Having entered the planet's neighbourhood nudged by gravity of giant planets, they would be monitored for their threat. The eight orbiting bodies are part of the 72 Near Earth Objects that NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft spotted in its second year since December 2013.

"By studying the distribution of lighter- and darker-colored material, NEOWISE data give us a better understanding of the origins of the NEOs, originating from either different parts of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter or the icier comet populations," said James Bauer, the mission's deputy principal investigator.

NASA studies Near Earth Objects (NEO) for various purposes but at least one of them changing course to crash into the planet is a grave concern. NEOWISE also helps NASA corroborate what its ground stations see.

"NEOWISE discovers large, dark, near-Earth objects, complementing our network of ground-based telescopes operating at visible-light wavelengths. On average, these objects are many hundreds of meters across," said Amy Mainzer NEOWISE principal investigator.

As to the question whether any of these eight objects could strike Earth, CNN reported that no big space rocks are headed the planet's way but small rocks like the Chelyabinsk meteor could streak past, undetected. Around 14,246 NEOs are known to exist with NEOWISE having spotted over 400 since December 2013.

While there is no planned response in place to combat threatening asteroids, some ideas to save the planet include deflecting a small asteroid with engines and nuking a large one. Whether these methods can save the planet remains unknown.