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The asteroid tracking systems keeping the Earth safe from danger have their systems peeled on a large boulder called CO1 2010. The giant asteroid, followed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, is moving towards an Earth Close approach path. Space rock will approach our planet by the early morning of Saturday, September 14th. NASA trackers believe that the asteroid CO1 will appear near the Earth at 4:42 HNB (3:42 UTC).
The CO1 asteroid is a "potentially dangerous asteroid" (PHA) and a "near-Earth object" (NEO) confined to the inner solar system.
The space rock revolves around the Sun on a trajectory similar to that of the 1862 Apollo asteroid and settles from time to time near the Earth.
NASA defines all PHAs as asteroids at least 150 meters (150 feet) or more, located near potentially dangerous approaches to the Earth.
The US Space Agency said: "A relatively small number of objects close to the Earth pass close enough to Earth and are of sufficient size to warrant close observation.
READ MORE: How often do asteroids hit Earth? What is the risk of impact?
"It's because the gravitational pull of the planets could, over time, change the orbital trajectory of an object into an orbit crossing the Earth." This suggests the possibility of a future collision. "
The CO1 asteroid is a formidable object, measuring somewhere in the range of 393.7ft to 853ft (120m to 260m) in diameter.
At the upper end of this scale, the asteroid dominates the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, United States.
The asteroid is also more than twice as high as St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
READ MORE: A scientist warns of a deadly asteroid on Earth
And if that were not terrifying enough, the asteroid will fly over the Earth at a dizzying speed of 14.36 km per second or 51,122 km / h.
PLHIV usually approaches our home world at a distance of less than 0.05 astronomical unit (AU).
A single astronomical unit measures the distance between the Earth and the Sun, 149 million kilometers.
The asteroid CO1 is expected to drastically reduce this distance Saturday to just 0.03561 astronomical unit.
In other words, closer to home, the asteroid will surely be missing from a distance of 3.3 million miles (5.3 million km).
READ MORE: The asteroid "God of Chaos" is more likely to touch the Earth than a plane crash
It may seem like a life away from it, but on the big scale of the cosmos, it's a pinch at the rock's heel.
NASA stated: "When they gravitate around the Sun, objects close to the Earth can sometimes approach the Earth.
"Note that a" near "passage astronomically can be very far in human terms: millions or even tens of millions of kilometers."
After its Saturday run, the CO1 asteroid will not return to the Earth's Solar System Wedge until September 16, 2020.
Quick Facts About Asteroids, Comets and Meteors:
1. There are currently 796 901 known asteroids and 3586 known comets.
2. NASA's Global Defense Coordination Office is responsible for protecting the Earth from danger.
3. A rock the size of Chelyabinsk hits about once or twice a century and is about 20 meters wide.
4. Scientists estimate that about 44 tons of meteorites fall daily on the planet.
NASA characterizes NEOs by their shape, speed, rotation, trajectory and composition.
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