NASA warned that the biggest asteroid to approach this month is currently headed for Earth. Based on the agency’s data, the asteroid follows an Earth-crossing orbit and is large enough to wipe out a significant part of the country.

The approaching asteroid has been identified by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 481394 (2006 SF6). According to the agency, this asteroid is currently flying towards Earth at an average speed of almost 18,000 miles per hour.

The asteroid is estimated to be about 2,034 feet wide, making it almost twice as big as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

The 481394 (2006 SF6) asteroid belongs to the Aten family of asteroids, which means it follows an Earth-crossing orbit. From time to time, this asteroid’s path intersects with that of Earth as the planet completes its cycle around the Sun. The intersection usually occurs when the asteroid approaches its farthest distance from the massive star.

Due to the asteroid’s natural orbit as well as its massive size, it has been classified by CNEOS as a potentially hazardous asteroid.

“Potentially Hazardous Asteroids are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth,” CNEOS explained in a statement.

“Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.05 astronomical units or less and an absolute magnitude of 22.0 or less are considered potentially hazardous asteroids,” the agency added.

If 481394 (2006 SF6) ends up on a collision course with Earth, the impact would leave a crater that’s about three to six miles wide. The energy that will be released from the impact event would be powerful enough to destroy and incinerate a massive area. Due to the asteroid’s size, it’s possible that it could wipe out an entire state or even a country if it hits the planet.

According to CNEOS, 481394 (2006 SF6) is expected to approach the planet on Nov. 20 at 7:01 pm EST. During this time, the massive asteroid will approach Earth from a distance of about 0.02886 astronomical units or roughly 2.9 million miles away.

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Pictured; an artistic illustration of an asteroid flying by Earth. NASA
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