Building-sized asteroid to fly past Earth TODAY! NASA reveals details of this upcoming close encounter

A Near-Earth Asteroid which is nearly the size of a building is predicted to pass Earth today, November 24. Know the asteroid’s speed, distance of approach, size, and other details, as per NASA.

The building-sized asteroid will pass Earth by a close margin today, NASA has revealed. (Pixabay )

Studying asteroids can help scientists unlock the secrets of the Earth and how they formed. However, asteroids also pose a threat to the planet on occasion. These ancient space rocks have impacted Earth in the past and changed the course of history. More often than not, asteroids pass Earth at close but safe distances without ever touching the atmosphere even. However, it is still important to track them to minimize the uncertainties around their close approaches. NASA, the US space agency, has revealed that a building-sized asteroid is expected to pass Earth by a close margin today, November 24. Know all about the close encounter of Earth with this asteroid today.

Asteroid 2019 UT6: Details of close approach

With the help of its advanced ground and space-based telescopes, NASA has tracked an asteroid whose orbit will bring it very close to Earth today. This near-Earth space rock, designated Asteroid 2019 UT6 by NASA, is expected to pass the planet at a distance of approximately 3.4 million kilometers. It is travelling around the Sun in its orbit and is approaching Earth at a speed of 47534 kilometers per hour, which is much faster than Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)!

According to NASA, it belongs to the Apollo group of Near-Earth Asteroids, which are Earth-crossing space rocks with semi-major axes larger than Earth's. These asteroids are named after the humongous 1862 Apollo asteroid, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s.

How big is the asteroid?

In terms of size, Asteroid 2019 UT6 is nearly 440 feet wide, and is comparable in size to a building! As per NASA, this asteroid has been designated as a Potentially Hazardous Object, meaning that its massive size, along with the close distance of approach, could potentially threaten Earth.

Shockingly, this will not be Asteroid 2019 UT6's first-ever close approach to Earth. It passed Earth for the first time ever on October 30, 2011, when it flew past the planet at a distance of 66 million kilometers. According to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), this space rock will again pass the planet on November 25, 2025, at a distance of 2.3 million kilometers.