Asteroid, twice the size of Empire State Building is hurtling towards earth, here's what we know

An asteroid twice the size of Empire State Building will fly past Earth today, it will be closer to our planet than moon.

Image used for representational purpose

New Delhi: A large asteroid nearly twice the size of the Empire State Building in New York will fly past Earth on Thursday (September 9, 2021), according to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's asteroid database browser.

The asteroid known as 2010 RJ53, is approximately 774 meters (2,539.37 feet) in diameter will zoom past the planet today. The asteroid will pass by approximately 366,000 kilometers away from the planet which means it will be closer to earth than the moon.

Despite the close distance, it is very unlikely that 2010 RJ53 will impact the Earth. NASA has already declared the planet free of any risk of an asteroid impact for the next century.

Though, there is danger of a potential gravitational tug which can change an object's path. The danger of an asteroid impact remains among the worst possible natural disasters that could happen to the planet.

Reasearchers and astronomers around the world, including NASA monitor nearby asteroids and calculate their trajectory to see if they pose any threat to the planet.

Asteroids frequently fly by the Earth, with asteroids the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and another the size of the US Pentagon having passed by earth in late August.