“Potentially dangerous” asteroid larger than the Taj Mahal to pass to Earth on Diwali

NASA has warned that a huge “ potentially dangerous ” asteroid will pass close to Earth on Diwali on November 14.

According to a report by Express, the asteroid, dubbed 2020 ST1, is up to 350 meters long, making it significantly larger than the Taj Mahal and even the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The asteroid is reportedly projecting into space at the speed of 8.1 kilometers per second, or more than 29,000 kilometers per hour. For reference, any vehicle attempting to leave Earth’s atmosphere must reach a minimum speed of approximately 11.2 kilometers per second.

According to NASA, the asteroid will pass close to Earth at a distance more than 19 times greater than that between Earth and the Moon, and is highly unlikely to have an impact. However, NASA has classified it as a “potentially dangerous” asteroid, which the space body defines based on parameters that measure an asteroid’s potential to threatenly approach Earth.