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An asteroid almost as big as the tallest building in the world will make the application of our planet this weekend.
The asteroid, called 2000 QW7, should have a width of about 290 to 650 meters, which is almost as high as that of Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
According to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, the asteroid will pass through our planet on September 14th.
Fortunately, the asteroid will be about 3.3 million miles from Earth during the passage, although NASA still classifies it as "near".
This is not the first time that 2000 QW7 has passed our planet – the asteroid has already passed the Earth on September 1, 2000.
After the close approach on Saturday, NASA predicts that the asteroid will soon pass on our planet on October 19, 2038.
Although it is extremely unlikely that this asteroid will reach Earht, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine warned that further efforts would be needed to protect the Earth from a deadly collision of asteroids in the near future.
He said, "It's not about Hollywood, nor movies. The ultimate goal is to protect the only planet we know today to welcome life – it's planet Earth. "
Earlier this week, the European Space Agency (ESA) estimated that there were currently 878 asteroids on the "risk list" for striking the Earth.
The space agency explained, "This ESA catalog includes all known asteroids that have a 'non-zero' chance of impacting the Earth in the next 100 years – which means that an impact, no matter how improbable, is he can not be excluded. "
Worryingly, an impact, even caused by a small asteroid, could cause "serious destruction," according to ESA.
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