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Asteroids have been spotted skimming past the vicinity of the Earth a lot this year, and it seems that the space agency NASA continue to spot more space rocks oncoming. Recently, NASA spotted a giant space rock approach the Earth.
Express reports that the space agency spotted an asteroid coming towards the direction of the planet at a speed of over 26,300 miles per hour. Now referred to as 2006 WH1, it was predicted that it would pass by the Earth on the 20th of December. WH1 measured at an estimate of 787 feet tall and 1,771 feet wide, which is taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago, the CN Tower in Canada, and the Taipei 101 in Taiwan. NASA has classified this as a Near-Earth Object or NEO as well as a “Potentially Hazardous” object.
As with its size, in the event it would make an impact towards Earth, the after-effects would be disastrous, as it can potentially wipe out an entire continent if it makes a landing on the ground instead of a body of water. Even then, it can potentially bring on natural calamities like tsunamis. It also bears noting that an asteroid-like WH1 can hit the Earth with the force of over 60 megatons, which is a lot more powerful than the most powerful nuclear explosive ever made.
Luckily, despite the possible impact it can bring and the damage it can do, the space agency explains that WH1 will only pass by Earth. The closest it can get would be 0.03904 astronomical units, or in human measurements, 3.6 million miles away, so it still does not pose a threat.
Previously, a similarly-sized asteroid was also spotted to approach the Earth. Express also reported that the space rock, referred to as 2006 SF6, was flying towards the vicinity of the Earth at a speed of 17,783 miles per hour. As with any other asteroid that came close by, the closest SF6 got was in a 2.68 million mile distance from the Earth. Taller than many of the world’s skyscrapers, this asteroid can also bring on serious damage to the Earth in case of an impact.
