An asteroid twice as big as Great Pyramid of Giza to enter Earth’s orbit

Team Udayavani, Sep 3, 2020, 12:04 PM IST

NASA scientists say an asteroid twice the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza is set to hit the Earth’s orbit on Sunday, Sep 6.

It is said that the asteroid is up to 270 metre wide and 886 feet tall.The massive asteroid has been classified as an Apollo asteroid because it crosses Earth’s orbit. It was first spotted by astronomers a decade ago and called 465824 (2010 FR).

It has been called a Near-Earth Object by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) meaning it is 1.3 astronomical unit from the Sun.

However, the researchers at Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) have said that the asteroid would not pose any threat to Earth, much like many asteroids that flew by our planet recently.

Experts are currently tracking around 2,000 asteroids and comets which could threaten our planet. NASA had said that similarly sized asteroids pass by Earth at a similar distance a few times per year, however, they are difficult to record, unless they head directly towards the planet