An asteroid bigger than US' 102-storey Empire State Building is likely to pass by Earth on Saturday. The asteroid has a height of 1,454 feet and diameter 1,870 feet. First spotted in 2006, the space rock will make its closest approach on August 10, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). NASA to Crash Spacecraft into Asteroid in 2022.

Since the asteroid cross by a distance of 0.049 astronomical units (4.6 million miles) at a speed of around 10,400 mph, it has been labelled as possibly hazardous. However, NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office team told the CNN there is nothing to fear as it is medium size asteroid nearly five million miles away.

As per NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for near-Earth object studies, around 900 near-Earth objects are measuring more than a kilometre, which is even bigger than steroid 2006 QQ3. NASA Has Discovered a Rare Double Asteroid 2017 YE5 Revolving Around Each Other.

What is an asteroid?

Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. As asteroids orbit the Sun like planets, they are minor planets. Larger asteroids are also known as planetoids.

Every year, about six space objects around the size of Asteroid 2006 QQ23 passes by the earth, but thankfully all pose a statistically insignificant risk to the life on the blue planet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2019 01:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).