A massive asteroid which is bigger in size than the Statue of Unity is currently moving toward the Earth, and NASA has issued a warning.
Asteroids are a common part of outer space, and most of the time, they pose little to no threat to the Earth. Now, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has issued an important warning regarding a massive asteroid heading toward the Earth.
As per NASA, a humongous asteroid named 2022 OE02 is expected to come as close as 3.2 million miles close to Earth and is expected to whizz past the planet soon. What is surprising is the massive size of the asteroid, which can cause major damage if it makes contact with our planet.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has stated that the humongous asteroid is 213 metres wide, which makes it bigger than the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, India, which is the largest statue in the entire world. For reference, the Statue of Unity stands 182 metres tall.
Meanwhile, NASA has classified that huge asteroid as “potentially hazardous”, which means that the 2022 OE02 asteroid is a near-Earth Object (NEO), that poses a threat to the planet. If an asteroid this size makes an impact on Earth, it can be disastrous for a whole civilization.
Though the asteroid is hurling past the Earth with a significant buffer space of 3.2 million miles, a slight deviation from its path – which can be caused by many factors – can make it change its course and collide with the planet within seconds.
Since hazardous and potentially hazardous asteroids are not uncommon in outer space, NASA has already launched its Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission (DART) to act as a defence mechanism which can defend the planet from such rogue objects from outer space.
Meanwhile, scientists and researchers have said that there is essentially nothing to worry about and that the asteroid is very unlikely to make any sort of contact with Earth, which can cause damage to the planet.
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 "Humongous asteroid, larger than Statue of Unity, hurtling towards Earth? Know what NASA said")
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