Asteroid Larger than Empire State Building to Pass Earth at 34279 kmph
NASA has stated that stray asteroids and fragments from asteroids have impacted Earth in the past, significantly changing the planet’s geological history and influencing the evolution of life. To mitigate the uncertainty surrounding the potential impact of these space rocks, NASA relies on radar data collected by its ground and space-based telescopes. Radar is an essential tool for identifying and monitoring potential impact hazards, as it provides valuable information about an asteroid’s orbit, rotation, size, shape, and metal concentration by analyzing echoes of transmitted signals reflected off objects.
By studying this important information, NASA has issued a warning about an asteroid that is moving fast towards Earth today.
Asteroid 2020 DB5 data
According to NASA, the asteroid is estimated to be about 1,600 feet across, which is even larger than one of the world’s most iconic structures, the Empire State Building! When Asteroid 2020 DB5 hits a planet, it could cause massive destruction, especially if it were to land in a densely populated area given its enormity.
Asteroid 2020 DB5 will reach its closest approach to Earth today, June 15, at a distance of 4.3 million kilometers, according to the space agency. It has been added to NASA’s close approach list and has also been declared a potentially hazardous asteroid due to its close approach distance and enormous size.
While this distance may seem considerable, it is relatively small in astronomical terms given the asteroid’s massive size. In fact, Asteroid 2020 DB5 is already hurtling toward Earth at a fiery speed of 34,279 kilometers per hour!
Other details
NASA has revealed that Asteroid 2020 DB5 first approached Earth on May 28, 1905 from a distance of just one million kilometers, with its last approach on June 23, 1995. It is part of the Cupid group. -Earth asteroids, which are near-Earth asteroids with orbits outside Earth but inside Mars, named after asteroid 1221 Cupid.