Mumbai, May 10: The size of the asteroid that is barreling towards Earth today at a breakneck speed is uncommon and may do severe damage if it makes contact with our planet, according to space agencies who frequently issue asteroid alerts and warnings.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the official space agency of the United States, has issued a warning in response to the asteroid 2023 JD, which is roughly the size of a house. Asteroid Alert! Massive 60-Foot Celestial Rock Heading Towards Earth at Tremendous Speed, NASA Issues Warning. 

The asteroid is speeding directly towards Earth at 7200 KMPH (2 km/s). It stands around 60 feet high. A mass extinction of human and animal species is conceivable if an asteroid of this scale causes huge numbers of fatalities.

NASA has stated that despite the asteroid's size and rapid speed, it poses no threat to Earth and will pass by on May 9 at a safe distance of 4.16 million miles.

The concerned asteroid belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth objects, which mostly comprises of large asteroids and space rocks. The asteroid travels around the Sun in an orbit that lasts 402 days and takes it up to 173 million kilometres (miles) from the star and as close as 145 million kilometres (miles) away. Asteroid To Hit Earth on Valentine's Day 2046? NASA Says Chances of Planetoid Striking World ‘Small’, but Raises Probability to 1 in 360.

To give you an idea of how far away the asteroid will be when it passes by the Earth, its total distance will be over 4 million kilometres, which is more than 10 times more than the distance between the Earth and the moon. This will keep the asteroid securely out of our path and at a distance from us of over 4 million miles.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2023 01:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).