A mammoth asteroid that could be taller than the Eiffel Tower and classified as ‘potentially hazardous is expected to zoom past Earth on June 1.
The asteroid is classified as ‘potentially hazardous’ after examining its size and distance from Earth, whereas, Newsweek said that it is expected to pass by safely near our planet.
The mammoth space rock is known as 2021 KT1 that will make a ‘close approach’ to Earth on June 1 at about 10:24 am EDT from the distance of around 4.5 million miles at a speed of roughly 40,000 mph, 20 times the speed of a rifle bullet, according to NASA.
NASA still considers the pass in its near approaches datasheet even though this is roughly 19 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, Newsweek reported.
The agency’s Center for Near-Earth object Studies said in a post on its website that 2021 KT1 is not a major cause for concern, adding, “No one should be overly concerned about an Earth impact of an asteroid or comet.”
“The threat to any one person from auto accidents, disease, other natural disasters and a variety of other problems is much higher than the threat from NEOs.” However, it added that the chances of our planet being hit by an asteroid one day are slim but never zero.
The estimated size of the asteroid will be between 492 feet and 1,082 feet in diameter, roughly the size of three NFL football fields combined, according to The Washington Newsday.
