Asteroid as Large as Qutub Minar, Twice of Taj Mahal, to Fly Past Earth Amid Diwali 2020

New Delhi, November 14: In what is expected to be a period to watch out for space enthusiasts, four asteroids would fly past Earth over this weekend. The timing of their movement coincides with the observation of Diwali by nearly 1.5 billion people across the globe. One among the asteroids has particularly raised apprehensions among experts, as its size is stated to be as large as Qutub Minar or twice of the Taj Mahal. Asteroid Bennu Promises Pristine ET Material from Space, Says NASA.

Qutub Minar is the iconic 73 metres tall minaret-shaped monument on the outskirts of Delhi. Taj Mahal, meanwhile, is one of the world's wonders standing tall in Agra town of India's Uttar Pradesh. An asteroid whose size is being compared to the two monuments is considered to be "potentially hazardous".

The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), in its report, claimed that two asteroids will fly past the planet on Saturday. They are termed as 2020 TB9 and 2020 ST1. The former is smaller of the two, with an average diameter of 30 metres and will whiz past the earth at a speed of 21,600 km/hr.

2020 ST1, which is the larger among the two, will remain at a distance of nearly 7.3 million km away from the Earth. Both the asteroids are expected to move at a shattering speed, and would turn into fireballs outside Earth's atmosphere.

Reports also claimed that two more asteroids would move past the Earth over the next four days. Their size, however, is expected to be smaller than ST1.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 14, 2020 11:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).