Asteroid Larger Than Golden Gate Bridge Approaches Earth. What To Know
New Delhi:
A massive asteroid, expected to be larger than San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, will pass close to Earth on June 5. Measuring between 1,017 and 2,264 feet, it is bigger than 97 per cent of asteroids and is among the top 3 per cent by size.
According to scientists, Asteroid 424482 (2008 DG5) is estimated to come to around 3.49 million kilometres of earth but does not pose any threat. It will safely pass by without causing any damage, Forbes reported.
The reason the asteroid doesn't pose any threat to the Earth is that it is about nine times farther away than the Moon, which normally orbits Earth at around 3.84 kilometres.
However, NASA has referred to the 2008 DG5 as a potentially hazardous object for two characteristics: distance and size. NASA said that any object, larger than about 500 meters, which comes within 7.5 kilometres of Earth could collide with our planet.
As of now, there is no threat from 2008 DG5 to Earth but if an asteroid of this size hits, it can cause serious regional damage. It could create strong shockwaves and even tsunamis if it hit water. For example, in 2008, a Tunguska Event happened when a smaller asteroid of about 130 ft exploded in the air over Siberia, causing massive fires and destroying 80 million trees.
Other than this, the Chicxulub asteroid, believed to have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaur, was six to ten miles (10 to 15 kilometres) wide.
2008 DG5 is an Apollo asteroid, meaning it passes through Earth's orbit. It was spotted in 2008 by the Catalina Sky Survey, a component of NASA's Near Earth Object Observation Program, near Tucson, Arizona. It completes one round around the sun every 514 Earth days. It will come close to Earth again in the year 2032.
Earlier, NASA reported that asteroid 2024 YR4, about the size of the Statue of Liberty, might cause damage to the Earth. It has the potential to release energy 100 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb if it hits Earth.
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