2200-foot wide monstrous asteroid rushing towards Earth, NASA clocks it at 63186 kmph

Asteroid 2012 KY3, a stadium-sized asteroid is approaching Earth at a fiery speed. Check what NASA said.

The gigantic asteroid 2012 KY3 will zoom past Earth tomorrow, NASA warned. (Pixabay)

Did you know that asteroids are sometimes referred to as planetoids? These small, rocky bodies orbiting the Sun are not large enough to be classified as planets, and can also be called minor planets. Despite their relatively small size, these space rocks can pose a significant threat to Earth, as evidenced by the Chicxulub asteroid impact that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs. Throughout history, there have been numerous dangerous asteroid strikes that have had devastating consequences. Now, NASA has warned that there is a giant Stadium-sized asteroid that is hurtling towards Earth at a fiery speed. Should you worry? Here's what space agency said.

Danger of Asteroid 2012 KY3

NASA has issued an alert against an asteroid named Asteroid 2012 KY3. Although it is expected to fly past Earth on April 13. It will be extremely close to our planet - just 2.97 million miles away. This asteroid is absolutely massive with a width of almost 2200 foot making it almost double the size of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Asteroid 2012 KY3 was discovered on May 16, 2012. This near-Earth object belongs to the Apollo group.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Center for NEO Studies maintains a list of all near-Earth objects that are expected to make relatively close approaches to Earth. This impact risk assessment list is used to detect space rocks in advance and tag them with potentially hazardous objects. The space rocks that approach within 4.6 million miles of Earth and have a size larger than about 150 meters are known as potentially hazardous asteroids.

This is what makes this giant 2200-foot wide asteroid a potential threat to Earth which is rushing at a blistering speed of 63186 kilometers per hour towards Earth, CNEOS data indicated.

Tech behind asteroid tracking

A combination of ground-based and space-based telescopes is used by NASA to track asteroids. The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which is funded by NASA, scans the night sky for any moving objects and reports any potential asteroid sightings. In addition, certain space-based observatories, such as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the NEOWISE mission, utilize infrared sensors to detect asteroids and gather information about their characteristics.