Asteroid as big as Eiffel Tower to skim past Earth on Dec 11; Here's all you need to know

As year is nearing its end, it is yet to see a few potentially hazardous asteroids make ir approach towards Earth. One such asteroid will fly past our planet on December 11 and reports say that rock is almost size of Eiffel Tower. Dubbed 4660 Nereus, asteroid measures 330 meters in diameter and will zoom past Earth from a distance of 3.93 million kilometres. Despite distance being ten times distance between Earth and Moon, asteroid has been categorised as “potentially hazardous” as it completes criteria for same. 

An asteroid is put in said category if it is larger than about 140 meters in diameter and is passing within range of 7.48 million kilometres, according to a Science Alert report. However, readers need t worry as asteroid will skim by at a safe distance irrespective of its categorisation. upcoming flyby of asteroid 4660 Nereus, which was discovered in 1982, will be its closest to our planet in a decade. Having an orbit of nearly two years around sun, scientists are tracking it to determine if asteroid is deflected from orbit and might pose a real threat. Interestingly, its next visit will be in 2060, however, its distance from Earth will be just 1.2 million kilometres from Earth, which is three times distance from Moon. Once we get past forthcoming flyby, Earth will host ar rock about which NASA's asteroid tracker has warned about.

A gigantic sized asteroid stronger than a nuke heads towards Earth

Scientists say that this asteroid heading towards our planet has a diameter between 84 and 190 meters and is potentially stronger than a nuclear bomb. This asteroid named 2018 AH also visited earth back in 2018, hence name, and as per experts, it would be roughly equivalent to Tunguska asteroid, which had caused a 12-megatonne explosion in 1908. Expected to get closest on December 27, 2018, AH will be at a safe distance of over 4.5 million kilometres, however, it reportedly has had an encounter with a planet in past.

cosmic body has been classified as being in Apollo category, which is most hazardous. orbits of Apollo asteroids that cross Earth pose a collision risk. ncy, on or hand, believes it is improbable that this celestial body would hit Earth. 

(Im: Pixabay)