Meteorite big enough to erase a city flies near Earth on March 26

thiên thạch - Ảnh 1. — Asteroid 2014 TN17, the size of a pyramid, will fly close to Earth on March 26 - Photo: CANADATODAY

Asteroid 2014 TN17, the size of a pyramid, will fly past Earth at 77,300km/h this week when it reaches its closest point to Earth in more than 100 years, scientists say.

However, data shows that the asteroid is unlikely to collide with our planet now or in the future , according to LiveScience.

Specifically, at around 7:30 a.m. ET on March 26, or around 6:30 p.m. the same day Vietnam time, asteroid 2014 TN17 will fly 5.1 million km away from Earth (more than 13 times the distance between the Moon and Earth), according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

This is the closest approach the asteroid has made in nearly 300 years in JPL simulations, which included calculations of all its flybys of Earth from 1906 to 2200.

Thiên thạch lớn đủ xóa một thành phố bay gần Trái đất ngày 26-3 - Ảnh 2. — Asteroid 2014 TN17 (white elliptical orbit) will fly close to Earth (blue orbit) on March 26 - Photo: NASA

Researchers estimate the diameter of asteroid 2014 TN17 is about 165m, slightly wider than the height of the Giza pyramid (Egypt) and large enough to wipe out a city if it collided with Earth.

NASA classifies 2014 TN17 as “potentially hazardous” because of its size and occasional close passes to Earth. That doesn’t mean it’s dangerous, however.

During its flyby of Earth on March 26, the asteroid will be too far from the range of telescopes or binoculars to see, but it will be large enough for researchers to track and observe.

NASA's GSSR radar system in California (USA) has also been scheduled to closely monitor this meteorite as it flies past Earth.

Designed specifically to observe near-solar system objects as they pass by Earth, GSSR over the years has helped detect the unusual "snowman" shape of an asteroid, noticed changes in the orbit of another asteroid, and discovered a small moon orbiting a third asteroid.