Radar images reveal unusual asteroid shape as it passes Earth

Radar images have captured asteroid 2024 ON, which appears to be a contact binary, meaning it consists of two fused space rocks. The asteroid, about 1,150 feet long, passed Earth at a distance of 620,000 miles on September 17. NASA's radar observations revealed bright spots on the asteroid's surface, likely large boulders. Contact binaries are common among near-Earth asteroids, with about 14% of those larger than 660 feet sharing this shape. Although classified as potentially hazardous, 2024 ON does not currently threaten Earth. The asteroid last approached in 2013 and is expected to return in 2035.