An asteroid that is roughly as long as New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge will pass within 2.6 million miles of Earth on Thursday, making it a “potentially hazardous object,” according to NASA.
At 1,600 feet long, the asteroid known as 2020 DB5 is the largest of the next five asteroids approaching our planet that is being tracked by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Though it poses no threat of colliding with Earth, its size and predicted proximity as it passes by are within the threshold of what the laboratory deems “potentially hazardous.”
The lab, which the California Institute of Technology manages on behalf of NASA, tracks any asteroid or comet whose orbits will bring them within 4.6 million miles of Earth, which is 19.5 times the distance to the moon. Any object larger than about 150 meters (about 492 feet) that can approach the Earth to within this distance becomes potentially hazardous, according to the lab.
Space mission:NASA’s Psyche mission on track for fall launch to metallic asteroid after yearlong delay
The bridge-sized asteroid has passed by Earth before
The orbit of asteroid 2020 DB5 has brought it within close proximity of Earth six times since 1905, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies. The last visit was June 23, 1995, and after Thursday the asteroid isn’t projected to encounter Earth again until May 2, 2048, according to the center.
Valentine’s Day asteroid?NASA says asteroid as wide as a football field could hit Earth in 2046
More asteroids passing by this week
But before 2020 DB5 passes harmlessly by Earth, another three — albeit smaller — asteroids will encounter our planet.
On Tuesday, a bus-sized asteroid approximately 34 feet will pass within 1.1 million miles, while a 490-foot tall asteroid will come within 2.5 million miles. Then Wednesday, a house-sized asteroid will come within 197,000 miles of Earth.
Later in the week on Saturday, another smaller asteroid that’s 45-feet long will pass by Earth while 3.2 million miles away.
NASA tracks asteroids to protect humanity
NASA has discovered 10,472 asteroids that are larger than 460 feet as of May 31, though an estimated 15,000 are still waiting to be discovered.
Within the last few years, NASA has taken further steps to protect humanity from threats posed by not only asteroids, but also other inbound objects such as comets.
In 2016, the space agency established the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which catalogues near-Earth objects that could crash into Earth in order to help the U.S. government prepare for efforts to mitigate or deflect potential detected threats. And in September, NASA successfully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid, adjusting its speed and path as the first test mission for the agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test.
More:NASA’s new asteroid-hunting telescope is made to protect Earth from disaster
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta.
