A massive asteroid is approaching earth this Friday. NASA is tracking the potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA), a report in the IBT stated. According to the agency's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the asteroid is almost as big as the Empire State Building. Going by the CNEOS, the asteroid has been identified as 2019 GT3. Based on the agency's database, 2019 GT3 is one of the biggest asteroids that will approach Earth this month.
Know more about asteroid 2019 GT3:
Asteroid 2019 GT3 is currently travelling at a speed of 30,500 miles per hour. According to CNEOS, it is estimated to have a diameter of 1,214 feet. This makes it significantly taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Asteroid 2019 GT3 was first observed on April 3. The asteroid is also expected to approach Mars and Jupiter.
Will the asteroid hit Earth? Date, Time
According to CNEOS, asteroid 2019 GT3 will fly past earth on September 6 at 12:21 am EDT. During its approach, the asteroid will be about 0.04996 astronomical units or around 4.6 million miles from the planet's center. According to CNEOS, asteroid 2019 GT3 is an Apollo asteroid. It has a very wide orbit around the Earth and the Sun. Just as it travels across space, the asteroid crosses Earth's path as it orbits the giant star. Due to 2019 GT3's close-intersections with Earth's orbit, it has been classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid. According to a CNEOS statement, potentially hazardous asteroids are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid's potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.
When is Asteroid 2019 GT3's next earth approach?
According to CNEOS, asteroid 2019 GT3 will next approach Earth on June 20, 2030. The asteroid will zip past the planet form a distance of 0.09599 astronomical units or roughly 8.9 million miles away.
Know some facts about asteroids:
- NASA estimates a football field-size asteroid collides with our planet once every 2,000 years or so.
- A car-sized asteroid hits the earth on average at least once a year.
- Some of the bigger space rocks in the Asteroid Belt can be as large as 583 miles across.
- As icy comets fly around the solar system, their outer layers sublimate in the Sun's heat and leave behind a glowing trail.
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