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NASA claims that an asteroid larger than New York’s Empire State Building will pass ‘close’ to Earth;
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According to space agency scientists, the asteroid may pass ‘close’ to the planet at a distance of minus 5.8 million km;
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The space agency has already been exploring several options for defenses against asteroids.
The total lunar eclipse, also known as the ‘Blood Moon’, will take place between the night of this Sunday (15) and the dawn of Monday (16). However, NASA claims that another ‘astronomical event’ will happen hours earlier.
According to the space agency, the asteroid 2008 TZ3, which is 490 meters wide and 440 meters high, will pass ‘close’ to Earth. For comparison, the space object is 50 meters higher than the Empire State Building in New York, United States.
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According to NASA, the asteroid is classified as ‘potentially hazardous’ because of its predicted close passes.
According to the agency, when such an object approaches the Earth within 7.5 million km of distance, being larger than a specific size, it can already be considered problematic. NASA also claims that the asteroid should pass the planet at a speed of 29,000 km/h.
The space agency has been exploring several options for defenses against these space objects. In November last year, a mission called the ‘Dual Asteroid Redirection Test’ (DART) was launched.
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