Additionally, NASA has said that the asteroid is 1,608 feet wide. Just for reference, the iconic New York Empire State building stands at 1,454 feet. Interestingly, the asteroid is also larger than the Eiffel Tower.
It is important to note that space scientists' calculations say it will pass us from a distance of about 2.5 million miles away. NASA has flagged this as “close approach." This is not the first time that Asteroid 388945 has paid us a visit. It passed very close to Earth in May 2020 - at a distance of 1.7 million miles.
Interestingly, this space rock routinely passes the Earth - every two years, according to space scientists - while orbiting the Sun. The next time it will pass close to the Earth in May 2024 but much farther - 6.9 million miles.
If an asteroid comes within 4.65 million miles and is over a certain size, it's considered “potentially hazardous" by cautious space agencies. Asteroids are space debris, the remains of a planet, that keep rotating in the vast, infinite space. Scientists have warned for decades that some huge space rocks are dangerous for Earth.
(With inputs from agencies)
