Massive asteroid 2.5X bigger than Statue of Unity makes ‘close approach’ this week

A massive nearly asteroid with a nearly half a kilometre diameter is speeding towards Earth and is set to make a ‘close approach’ this week. Named 2008 TZ3 or Asteroid 388945, the gigantic piece of space rock is estimated be between 220 and 490 metres, as per the Near Earth Object (NEO) Earth Close Approaches tracker of NASA. At its maximum estimated size of 490 metres or around 1600 feet, the asteroid dwarfs some of the largest man-made monuments on the surface of the planet.

The asteroid is set to make a ‘close approach’ on May 15. But there’s no cause for alarm as the brush with Earth will still keep it 3.5 million miles away from us. With its massive size, it is bigger than India’s most massive monument, the 182-metre-tall Statue of Unity in Gujarat. READ | Why twin Indian satellites for studying earth's upper atmosphere are named DISHA?

The threat of collision with outer space objects is real and millions are spent on tracking potentially hazardous objects. 2008 TZ3 has been tracked in the past and will be in the future. While it will make a close approach this week, it came even closer back in May of 2020 at around half the distance this time. READ | At THIS location, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs impacted Earth

The asteroid, with an orbital period around the sun of 732 days, the asteroid gives Earth a visit around every two years. While we can expect several more in our lifetime, none would come close to this one in all probability. Next time it passes by, 2008 TZ3 will be at around double the distance at 6.9 million miles away. It will next come as close as the May 15 shave in May 2163, nearly 140 years from now. READ | What is NASA's CAPSTONE mission and its importance for moon study