An Asteroid moving past Earth is not a new phenomenon. Space rocks of various sizes keep crossing our planets now and then. But, this time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is tracking an asteroid which is twice as big as the Great Pyramid of Giza. The space rock called 465824 (2010 FR) is expected to zip past Earth on September 6.
According to Express, the asteroid is said to be between 120m and 270m wide and between 394ft and 886ft tall.
Classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO), the US space agency has said that the rock will not have any impact on Earth. NEO is a term used for objects that are deflected by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits allowing them to enter our planet’s neighbourhood.
Any space rock or comet within 1.3 astronomical units from the Sun falls into the category of NEO and it is not harmful to Earth or human life.
NEOs orbit the Sun and they occasionally make a close approach to Earth. This means NEOs are not currently in the vicinity of Earth, but they can potentially approach our planet relatively closely, according to Express.
According to WION, the 465824 (2010 FR) is travelling towards Earth’s orbit at a speed of 31,400mph and will zip past our planet from 4.6 million miles away, posing no threat.
Last month, a car-sized asteroid moved past Earth from a distance of 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometres) away, reported space.com.
Known as 2020 QG, it was the closest known asteroid that did not impact our planet, Space.com reported quoting NASA.
It was moving at a speed of 27,600 mph and was about 10 to 20 feet in diameter. During its close approach, it flew over the Pacific Ocean.
The interesting thing about 2020 QG was that it was not noticed by the Palomar Observatory until about six hours after the asteroid's close approach.
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