The asteroid, dubbed 2019 OU1, is estimated to be up to 160 metres wide and will skim the Earth on August 28. The Washington Monument sized asteroid is part of the Apollo class which forms the majority of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids. According to NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) the asteroid will come 40 times closer to Earth than Venus, the planet’s nearest neighbour.
News of the latest asteroid come after a space rock larger than the Empire State Building (1,454 feet) flew past Earth at roughly 10,400mph on August 10.
The asteroid, known as 2006 QQ23, made its closest approach to Earth on Saturday at 3.23am EDT (8.23am BST).
One British scientist believes it’s not long until an asteroid hits Earth.
Dr Iain McDonald, from Cardiff University, said its “inevitable” wan asteroid will eventually hit Earth.
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However, he did not specify when this would happen.
Dr McDonald told BBC’s Today programme: “I try not to because it would be calamitous.
“As geologists, we recognise these events throughout history and we try and think of effects they must have had on life at that time.
“We know that these things will always happen.
“There are always rocks flying through space. Inevitably one of these will hit us and it will have pretty dramatic effects.”
Fortunately, NASA has not yet discovered an asteroid which will hit Earth.
The space agency estimated that at least 95 percent of asteroids 1km (3,280 feet) or larger have been recorded, with none posing a threat to the planet.
However, some space rocks could wipe out an entire city and wreak widespread destruction in a direct collision, according to NASA.
