Asteroid 2024 XN1 to skim past Earth on Christmas eve

Asteroid XN1 will not return to Earth's vicinity until January 2032
An undated image of an asteroid passing through the Earth. — Depositphotos
An undated image of an asteroid passing through the Earth. — Depositphotos

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a warning, according to which a huge asteroid, also known as the "Christmas Eve asteroid," is set to skim past Earth on December 24.

Likely to travel at an acceleration of 14,743 mph, the 2024 XN1 is said to have the size of a 10-storey building with a diameter ranging between 29 and 70 metres.

Notably, the 2024 XN1 asteroid was detected by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) on December 12.

Asteroid 2024 XN1

The 2024 XN1 asteroid will pass at a distance of 4.48 million miles from Earth, meaning that there is no risk of the asteroid’s collision with the Earth, according to NASA’s Asteroid Watch dashboard.

Will Asteroid 2024 XN1 collide with Earth

Moreover, an astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Jess Lee stated: "The asteroid will be very far away, around 18 times further from Earth than the Moon is, and so with this predicted path, it won’t come close enough to hit Earth."

That said, the asteroid’s size serves as a reminder of the potential dangers. If 2024 XN1 were to hit Earth, the impact could unleash the equivalent of 12 million tonnes of TNT, flattening an area of 700 square miles, Lee noted.

When will Asteroid 2024 XN1 pass?

The asteroid's closest approach is expected to occur at 02:56am GMT on Christmas Eve, and after that, it won't return to Earth's vicinity until January 2032.