On September 14, 2024, asteroid 2024 RN16, which is approximately 110 feet in diameter, made a close approach to Earth.
It passed at a distance of around 1.6 million kilometres from our planet. Though close in astronomical terms, this distance posed no threat, as it is much greater than the average Earth-Moon distance. NASA has identified this asteroid as a potential near-Earth object. It is classified as a “potentially hazardous asteroid.”
2024 RN16 belongs to a group of near-Earth objects called Apollo asteroids. These asteroids have orbits that cross Earth’s path around the Sun, making close approaches possible. If an asteroid the size of 2024 RN16 were to collide with Earth, the impact could be catastrophic.
It could release energy equivalent to 16 megatons of TNT if it exploded 29 kilometres above the ground. Such an event is considered rare, occurring roughly once every 990 years.
