NASA warning: Devastating 'Empire State Building' sized asteroid to skim close to Earth

A programme charting the Earth and the orbit of the asteroid, named 2006 QQ23, illustrates how close the planet and the asteroid come to a collision. Current estimates indicate that the meteorite is 1,870 feet in diameter making it 400 feet larger than the height of the Empire State Building. The video of the orbit illustrates the path that both Earth and asteroid 2006 QQ23 are expected to take.

While they run parallel to each other there is a point where the two lines cross over indicating that the asteroid has the potential to collide with the Earth.

At its current trajectory, the asteroid is expected to cross over Earth’s orbit lines after the planet has already passed it meaning the asteroid will not make contact.

According to NASA’S Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the massive rock will make its pass by earth on August 10.

Although the asteroid is classified as a “near-Earth object’ it will make its closest approach at a distance of about 4.6 million miles.

JUST IN: NASA discovery: Space agency spots closest ’habitable’ Earth-like planet yet

Current estimates indicate that the meteorite is 1,870 feet in diameter, making it 400 feet larger than the Empire State Building is tall.

If an asteroid of this size was to collide with the Earth it would result in widespread “devastations” according to Newsweek.

If the asteroid would land in the ocean it would cause large tsunamis that would impact low lying land of the surrounding area.

A land impact could completely destroy an entire city resulting in massive death toll numbers.

According to CNEOS manager Paul Chodas, there are very few asteroids identified by NASA that have a chance of hitting Earth, one of which, Bennu, is the subject of frequent monitoring by the agency.

He told Newsweek: “Asteroid Bennu, which is currently being visited by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, currently has a one-in-a-few-thousand chance of impacting a couple of centuries from now.

“But as we continue to track this asteroid, I expect that chance to drop to zero.”

source: express.co.uk