NASA Warns of Asteroid Approaching Earth

A NASA artist's concept of a broken-up asteroid. (Reuters)
A NASA artist's concept of a broken-up asteroid. (Reuters)
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NASA Warns of Asteroid Approaching Earth

A NASA artist's concept of a broken-up asteroid. (Reuters)
A NASA artist's concept of a broken-up asteroid. (Reuters)

An asteroid dubbed "potentially hazardous" by space agency NASA will come incredibly close to Earth next week, NASA's asteroid trackers have confirmed.

"Potentially hazardous asteroids are about 150 meters (almost 500ft), roughly twice as big as the Statue of Liberty is tall. Potentially hazardous comets also get unusually close to Earth," NASA said.

According to The Daily Express, knowing the size, shape, mass, composition and structure of these objects helps determine the best way to divert one, should it have an Earth-threatening path.

Asteroids and comets rarely strike Earth but the gravitational effects of other bodies in the solar system could nudge them on Earth-bound trajectories.

NASA said "this allows the possibility of a future collision" even if an initial flyby is harmless.

On January 10, Asteroid 2019 UO will approach the planet at breakneck speeds of around 9.40km per second or 21,027mph, announced NASA.

NASA also estimates the rock measures somewhere in the range of 820ft to 1,804ft (250m to 550m) in diameter. At the upper end of NASA's scale, the asteroid is comparable in height to Moscow's Ostankino Tower. At the lower end of the scale, the asteroid is about as tall as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), there are currently 21,702 known NEAs or Near-Earth Objects - space rocks that sometimes cross Earth's orbit. On top of the extensive list, ESA lists another 997 asteroids that could pose a "risk" to Earth's safety.

Thankfully, NASA does not expect Asteroid OU to come close enough next Friday to strike the planet.

At its closest, the asteroid will approach Earth from a distance of about 0.03021 astronomical units. A single astronomical unit is the average distance from our planet to the Sun or about 93 million miles (149.6 million km).



Kate, Princess of Wales, to Present Women's Singles Trophy at Wimbledon

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
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Kate, Princess of Wales, to Present Women's Singles Trophy at Wimbledon

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)

Kate, the Princess of Wales, is set to present the trophy to the winner of the women's singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday after opting not to attend the match last year while she was recovering from cancer.

The All England Club said Kate, the wife of Prince William, will be back in the Royal Box on Center Court for the match between eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek and No. 13 Amanda Anisimova. She will then take part in the on-court trophy presentation, The AP news reported.

Kate has been the patron of the All England Club since 2016 and has regularly attended the men's and women's finals. However, she was not there when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women's title last year.

She did hand the trophy to Carlos Alcaraz after his victory over Novak Djokovic in the men's final, when she made only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

She has been gradually returning to public duties since since announcing last fall that she had completed chemotherapy, and took part in welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to Britain this week.