NASA Asteroid Warning: Space Rock As Big As Two Titanics Headed To Earth

The U.S. space agency NASA recently spotted a humongous asteroid that’s said to be so big, it can carry two ships the size of the Titanic.

According to a report, NASA detected the asteroid hurtling towards Earth at a speed of 26,843 miles per hour. The size of the space rock is approximately 450 meters wide and is expected to zoom past Earth on Nov. 3.

What’s more, scientists believe that the space rock is rich in iron and other metals. The discovery is alarming because the asteroid has been deemed potentially hazardous because of its size. The space rock is big enough to level a city should its path change course and impact Earth directly.

The asteroid, labeled 2015 JD1, is considered an Apollo type of space rock which is the most dangerous classification that an asteroid can get. The asteroid’s path is too close for comfort and can actually change course and bring it closer to the planet. If things get worse, it can cause damage that’s similar to the Yarkovsky effect.

The Yarkovsky effect is when the “soft force of sunlight can steer asteroids into Earth-crossing orbits and drastically alter the layout of their paths across the solar system.”

This means that asteroids that are larger than 35 meters across can already pose a significant threat to a city. At 450 meters in diameter, the incoming asteroid is definitely a cause for concern should it change its course.

As of today, asteroid 2015 JD1 is expected to miss our home planet at a distance of 12.9 LD or Lunar distance (the average distance between the Earth and the moon). As it is, there’s not much cause for alarm since it’ll pass us by a comfortable distance as of this moment.

Now what’s alarming is that asteroids that pass too close to Earth have increased significantly in the past few years. In fact, based on a report, a NASA video showcased all known asteroids that passed through our solar system from Jan. 1, 1999 to Jan. 31, 2018 and it was surmised just how many near-Earth collisions occurred during the last two decades.

The video showed that there have been an increased occurrence of NEOs over the 20-year time-lapse set by the U.S. space agency.