A potentially dangerous asteroid the size of a stadium passed by Earth

A huge asteroid the size of a stadium flew close to Earth this week with incredible speed. The 2015 asteroid is named DR215, and according to NASA's asteroid Observatory database, it passed by Earth at a very high speed of 30,000 kilometers per hour on March 11 (morning of March 12).

It is classified as a potentially dangerous object but does not mean that it can hit the ground. NASA classifies any space rock at a distance of 7.48 million kilometers, or 19.5 times the distance from Earth to the Moon, as a potentially dangerous object.

Another criterion for classifying a mass as potentially dangerous The diameter is larger than 140 meters (about 500 feet). In the case of the 2015 DR215, while the asteroid may be the size of a stadium, its dimensions are estimated at 217 to 485 meters (more precisely, about 280 meters). It was not for Earth.

This is not the first time that the 2015 asteroid DR215 has passed by Earth. This space rock was identified on February 18, 2015 (February 29, 2014) and orbits the sun once every 199 days. This cycle was observed in March 2021 and is even expected to have 31 near-Earth transitions in the coming decades. is not. An asteroid of this size will cause serious damage if it hits Earth. Asteroids have already hit Earth. The idea of a giant asteroid colliding is terrifying. You can't wish they were far away because Earth's history has seen so many collisions.

They have encountered it, but often their size has been very small. In fact, small asteroids can be detected passing by Earth several times a month. Meteors, however, are very small pieces of asteroids and comets, usually less than 1 meter in size, that can hit the Earth's atmosphere and burn up. A phenomenon that actually happens almost every day.

Large asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth are easier to identify than smaller asteroids, and our solar system has a number of larger asteroids. So tracking these asteroids has become a vital task for NASA to assess their threat to Earth. The agency also runs experimental programs such as DART to divert asteroids.

Cover photo: Graphic design of an asteroid near Earth
Credit: Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

Sources: Hindu Times, Tweak Town, The Sun