A potentially hazardous asteroid that’s big enough to trigger a nuclear winter and mass extinction events on Earth following a collision will intersect the planet’s path this weekend. According to the data collected by NASA, the approaching asteroid is larger than the tallest man-made structure in the world.
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has identified the incoming asteroid as 163373 (2002 PZ39). As indicated in CNEOS’ database, this asteroid is currently traveling toward Earth at a speed of almost 34,000 miles per hour.
CNEOS estimated that 163373 (2002 PZ39) has a diameter of around 3,250 feet, making it significantly bigger than the Burj Dubai, which is currently the tallest building in the world. Given its incredible size, 163373 (2002 PZ39) will be the biggest asteroid to approach Earth this month.
According to CNEOS, 163373 (2002 PZ39) is an Apollo asteroid, which means it is known to intersect Earth’s path around the Sun from time to time. Due to its dangerous orbit and massive size, approaching space rock has been labeled as a potentially hazardous asteroid.
“Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth,” NASA explained in a statement.
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