Huge asteroid to pass close to Earth on Thursday

Washington: A giant asteroid, measuring over a kilometer across, will pass very close to the Earth on Thursday (May 14, 2015), according to NASA.

The asteroid called 1999-FN53 is the largest object (more than 10 times bigger than other meteorites) currently visible on NASA's Near Earth Object radar.

First discovered in March 1999, will brush close to Earth at a distance of 26.4 lunar distances, about 10 million kilometers from Earth, said NASA.

There are speculations that if the asteroid strikes the Earth, the impact would be catastrophic, leading to the deaths of 1.5 billion people.

According to Bill Napier, a professor of astronomy at the University of Buckinghamshire, if the asteroid were to hit the sea, it would send a plume of halogen gasses into the stratosphere destroying the ozone layer.

“This would allow unrestricted sunlight to hit the Earth, the sky would heat up becoming strong enough to burn vegetation,” he added.

The asteroid 1999-FN53, which is currently dashing through space at a speed of about 14 kilometers per second, is an eighth of the size of Mount Everest.

In March, asteroid 2014-YB35, came within 3 million miles of Earth.

NASA predicted that the next huge asteroid to hurtle past Earth is Icarus, which is also a kilometer across and will fly by our planet on June 16 at just 21 lunar distances.

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