Asteroid alert: A 'stadium sized' space rock is hurtling towards Earth

2020 XU6 is the stadium sized. For perspective, Statue of Liberty will fall short if it tries to compete with the asteroid to check who was taller. Even Big Ben would not be able to win.

Asteroid alert: A 'stadium sized' space rock is hurtling towards Earth

It may be just another day for us here on Earth. We may get up and go about as if nothing is going to happen. But ask those Dinosaurs who were out on the day an asteroid struck Earth.

Well, you can’t of course because all of them are dead (along with around 75 per cent of life at that time on the planet).

This is what happens when a huge space rock decides that it is tired of travelling through space and wants to ‘settle down’ on the cosy planet we call Earth.

Asteroids may be small compared to size of the Earth but they can cause massive destruction owing to their very high speeds.

And this is why NASA and other space agencies around the world keep close watch on any rogue rocks that may be coming our way, or at least make a close call.

And one such asteroid has been detected. The asteroid has been named 2020 XU6. And it will reach its closest point from Earth today (February 22).

2020 XU6 is the stadium sized. For perspective, Statue of Liberty will fall short if it tries to compete with the asteroid to check who was taller. Even Big Ben would not be able to win.

The asteroid in 700 feet across (213 m). It is coming closer to Earth indeed.

But we need not fret about extinction of humans just yet because it will miss the Earth by 4,087,734 km (2,540,000 m) 

Originally published at Wion news