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NASA, the US space agency, is tracking down a rock of potentially lethal space in the direction of the Earth. NASA researchers calculated that the approaching asteroid was similar in size to that of the Empire State Building. The asteroid, dubbed 2019 GT3 by NASA, is one of the largest asteroids approaching Earth in September.
NASA estimates that the asteroid is currently crossing the space at a speed of 50,000 km / h (30,500 mph).
The asteroid 2019 GT3 has a diameter of 300 meters, making the space higher than the Eiffel Tower.
Given the size and speed of the asteroid, the 2019 GT3 could create a crater 3 km wide in the event of collision with the Earth.
This makes the asteroid powerful enough to destroy an entire city during an impact event.
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Fortunately, NASA has calculated that the 2013 GT3 will fly over the Earth on September 6 at 5:21 am (Paris time).
When approaching the Earth by the astroid, the huge asteroid will be distant about 0.04996 Astronomical Units (AU) or about 4.6 million miles from the center of the planet.
An astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun.
2019 GT3 was observed for the first time on April 3, 2019. According to NASA's CNEOS database, the asteroid is also known to approach Red Planet Mars and gas giant Jupiter.
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The next near-earth approach to the asteroid will take place on June 20, 2030.
Over the next decade, the asteroid will cross the Earth at a distance of 0.09599 AU, or about 8.9 million miles.
NASA ranked 2019 GT3 as an Apollo asteroid. Like other asteroids belonging to this family, the 2019 GT3 has a very wide orbit around the Earth and the Sun.
When the asteroid flies into space, it frequently crosses the Earth's path as it circles the Sun.
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Due to its proximity to the GT3 Earth orbit in 2019, the GT3 was classified by CNEOS as a potentially dangerous asteroid.
NASA wrote in a statement: "Potentially dangerous asteroids are currently defined on the basis of parameters that measure the potential of the asteroid to make threatening approaches to the Earth.
"More specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance equal to or less than 0.5 AU and an absolute magnitude equal to or less than 22.0 are considered potentially hazardous asteroids."
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