Less than two weeks ago, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) detected an asteroid the size of one of the Egyptian pyramids approaching Earth. The object has been named 2024 MK and poses no threat to our planet, but the fact that it was only detected on June 16 is a stark reminder that even large space objects can evade detection until the very last moment.

The idea that an asteroid measuring between 120 and 260 meters in diameter could be visible to humans just two weeks before a possible collision with Earth is frightening. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), an asteroid of this size is too small to have catastrophic consequences if it were to hit our planet, but it is also too small to have catastrophic consequences “significant losses”. If 2024 MK had been approaching Earth instead of flying some 290,000 km away, there would not have been enough time for humans to prepare and conduct any asteroid-replacement operations similar to NASA’s DART mission.

“There is no risk of 2024 MK hitting Earth. However, an asteroid of this size could cause significant damage upon impact, so its detection just days before it passed by our planet underscores the need to continually improve our ability to detect and track potentially hazardous objects approaching Earth.” , the message says. In the ESA notification.

As for observing asteroid 2024 MK, it is possible to see it from the Earth’s surface today. Residents of which areas of the planet could watch the passage of a large space object were not specified.