Schoolgirls in India discover Earth-bound asteroid

In a major development, two Indian schoolgirls, hailing from the city of Surat, have discovered an asteroid. During the AIASC Phase-1 2020, the duo discovered the asteroid known as HLV2514.

Currently, the asteroid is circling Mars, and does not remain a threat to Earth.

The ladies, from the town of Surat in the western Indian condition of Gujarat, have been collaborating in a House India and NASA project, which enables learners to assess pictures taken by a telescope positioned at the University of Hawaii.

10th Standard students Radhika Lakhani and Vaidehi Vekariya stumbled upon the asteroid in the midst of a school project. As per a TOI report, NASA acknowledged the girls' rare asteroid discovery and sent a confirmation mail.

Aakash Dwivedi, senior teacher and astronomer at Space India, informed CNN that trainees throughout India were taught how to identify the heavenly bodies utilizing software application which evaluates images gathered by NASA's PAN Star telescope. "On July 23, they despatched us an e-mail confirming that we had identified a in the vicinity of Earth object", Vekariya, who is 15 decades old, advised CNN. However, NASA confirmed that the asteroid is slowly shifting its orbit.

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The discovery and tracking of dainty OY4 is a testament to our space agencies' asteroid-hunting technologies and techniques.

Asteroids, otherwise called minor planets, are little rocky objects that orbit the sun.

SPACE India, one of the few space education institutes in India, announced the massive discovery on its social channels, noting that asteroid was first seen back in June. Even then it will still be more than 10 times the distance between the Earth and the moon, more than 2,389,000 miles, though a collision is not out of the realm of possibility. "Considering that this asteroid is altering its orbit it has turn out to be news", mentioned Dwivedi.

The asteroid, which is now called HLV2514, may be officially christened only after NASA confirms its orbit, a SPACE India spokeswoman said.