NASA has announced that asteroid XN1 will approach Earth on December 24, coinciding with Christmas Eve. This celestial body measures 39.3 meters in diameter, comparable to a ten-story building, making it an object of interest for astronomical observation.
However, NASA's predictions indicate that XN1 will pass at a safe distance of approximately 7.21 million kilometers from our planet. This distance is about 18 times greater than the distance between Earth and the Moon, alleviating concerns of a potential collision.
Astronomer Jess Lee from the Royal Observatory Greenwich stated that current data show no risk of the asteroid deviating from its course to pose a significant threat to Earth. "It will be very far away; there is no need for concern," he assured.
While the likelihood of impact is nearly zero, experts note that if XN1 were to drastically change course and collide with Earth, the resulting explosion could equal 12 million tons of TNT, devastating an area of approximately 2,000 square kilometers. Fortunately, this scenario is not expected to occur, but it underscores the importance of continuous space monitoring.
In addition to XN1, other asteroids will also be closely observed by the scientific community in the coming days. These include YC at 12.5 meters, YH at 29.8 meters, YD2 at 6.5 meters, and AO4 at 10.5 meters.