NASA tracks three huge asteroids racing towards Earth. Will they become an immediate threat?

Three asteroids are being actively monitored by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as they make their closest approach to Earth on Sunday (October 13).

Although none of these space rocks are posing any kind of immediate threat to Earth, their flyby will give scientists a rare research opportunity.

Scientists will be able to gather critical data regarding every asteroid's structure and behaviour.

All about the three asteroids

Asteroid 2024 SM4

Asteroid 2024 SM4 is an airplane-sized space rock which is approximately 170 feet wide. It will flyby Earth at a distance of 4,500,000 kilometres which is farther away than the Moon.

Also Read: NASA issues sudden alert as two massive asteroids race towards Earth, on collision path

Asteroid 2024 TX5

Asteroid 2024 TX5 is a house-sized space rock which measures 58 feet in width. This asteroid will fly closer to Earth and will make its nearest approach at 2,830,000 kilometres. 

Asteroid 2024 TA7

Asteroid 2024 TA7 is nearly 40 feet wide and will pass at just 328,000 kilometres from Earth. 

Even though these asteroids won't pose any danger to Earth, they will help scientists unravel new mysteries about them.

How is NASA tracking asteroids?

NASA, along with other space agencies, has established a network of telescopes and advanced computing for identifying near-Earth objects (NEOs). 

Watch: Asteroids Can Be Transformed Into Food for Astronauts: Study

Even though many of the NEOs don't come very near to Earth, some of them do come at a scary distance and get tagged as potentially hazardous asteroids which need more attention. 

Such asteroids are more than 460 feet (140 metres) in size and their orbits bring them within a distance of 7.5 million kilometres from Earth. 

NASA's Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been monitoring all the NEOs and looking for any potential impact risks.

(With inputs from agencies)