Feb 26, 2021 01:40 AM EST
Next month, an asteroid as large as the long Golden Gate Bridge will hurl past the planet. But, while this will be the largest and fastest asteroid to fly near our planet this year, there is no need to worry.
Asteroid 231937 (2001 FO32)
(Photo : (Photo Courtesy of NASA/Newsmakers))
385446 03: FILE PHOTO: A mosaic image of asteroid Eros at it s north pole, taken by the robotic NEAR Shoemaker space probe February 14, 2000 immediately after the spacecraft s insertion into orbit. After a year of circling and taking pictures, NEAR will touch down on asteroid Eros February 12, 2001, to capture surface details, which will be the first time any craft has tried to land on a tumbling space rock.
Asteroid news: NASA has released a fascinating false colour photo of Asteroid Eros (Image: NASA)
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The NASA asteroid tracking site has revealed at its largest, 2021 CS6 is approximately only 55ft (17m) across – the size of a house.
As a result, the rogue space rock would simply incinerate in our world’s thick atmosphere, even if it were on a collision course with us.
In comparison, the following week will see dozens of much larger asteroids on close approach - ranging from asteroid 2021 BS3 which is up to 100 metres in size to 2021 CW which is 23m to 51m and will fly past Earth on February 15.