An asteroid that is bigger than a Boeing-747 is going collide with the orbit of the Earth next week, the Center for Near-Earth Objects of NASA stated. The space research organization is currently tracking a space rock called 2020 RK2, which is an asteroid that is currently on the trajectory to come into a collision with the orbit of the Earth on Wednesday, October 7.
The asteroid was first seen by the astrologists last month. It is an Apollo asteroid that is going to cross the orbit of the Earth as it safely flies past. Asteroid 2020 RK2 is going to be hurtling through space at a speed of 6.68 kilometers per second, which is equal to 14,942 miles per hour.
The space research organization made an estimation for 2020 RK2 to be anywhere between 36m and 81m in diameter and is around 118 to 265 foot wide. Going by the size, the space rock can be bigger than the wingspan of a Boeing-747 8 series airplane that is 68.5m wide.
Asteroid to Go Past Earth
It is not likely that the keen astronomers are going to be able to see the asteroid from the Earth, but the space rock is going to go past at 1.12 pm Eastern Standard. The chances of it causing any damage is very unlikely, with NASA estimating that it will whiz past at a distance of 2,378,483 miles away.
After the rock safely goes past Earth, it is not going to visit the orbit before August 2027. The astrologists at the space station are currently tracking many comets and asteroids all the time, which include a 124ft to 275ft asteroid that is set to approach the Earth on Thursday, October 8, a day after the 2020 RK2 passes.
Center of the space research agency for the Near-Earth Object Studies has dubbed the asteroid (2020 SX3) after it got first observed by the astrologists on August 19 this year. The space rock SX3 is expected to come close to the Earth's orbit at around 11.16 am Eastern Standard Time.
