An asteroid the size of Nelson’s Column is set to skim past Earth tomorrow, NASA has warned.
The asteroid, dubbed 2019 SR8, is estimated to measure between 20 metres and 44 metres in diameter.
At the higher end of that estimate, that would mean the space rock is roughly the same size as London’s iconic Nelson’s Column.
2019 SR8 is expected to pass our planet at 03:45 tomorrow morning, at which point it will be travelling at a staggering 21,966 miles/hour.
During the passing, the asteroid will be just over three million miles from our planet. While this might sound far, in astronomical terms it’s extremely close.
NASA defines this distance as a ‘close approach’, meaning 2019 SR8 is deemed a ‘near-Earth object.’
Thankfully the chance of a collision is very low, according to NASA.
It explained: “NASA knows of no asteroid or comet currently on a collision course with Earth, so the probability of a major collision is quite small.
“In fact, as best as we can tell, no large object is likely to strike the Earth any time in the next several hundred years.”
However, NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine, recently warned that we need to take the real-world threat of an asteroid strike more seriously.
He said: "We have to make sure that people understand that this is not about Hollywood, it's not about movies. This is about ultimately protecting the only planet we know, right now, to host life, and that is the planet Earth."
NASA is currently working towards the gaol of being able to detect and track 90% of nearby asteroids that are 140 metres or larger. A space rock of this size could cause catastrophic damage, and even wipe out an entire country.
