Massive Asteroid with a Size of a Stadium to Fly by Earth This Friday; NASA Classifies it as Potentially Hazardous

A massive asteroid with size compared to a stadium or a football field will fly by Earth on Friday, March 11.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is monitoring the football field-sized asteroid, which it expects to pass by Earth on Friday.

Asteroid 2015 DR215

(Photo : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via Getty Images)

NASA called the space rock 2015 DR215 and estimated it will have a speed of 19,000 miles per hour and a distance of more than 4 million miles (6.7 million kilometers) from Earth when it flies by in the early hours of Friday.

The space rock is one of the closest asteroids that will approach Earth over recent years.

The physical characteristics of the asteroid were determined by NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard, which monitors space rocks like asteroids and comets, especially those that have a significant a close proximate distance from Earth.

Also Read: 'Potentially Hazardous' Asteroid Expected to Fly by Earth on March 4

Asteroid Size

Based on its overall size, the asteroid has an approximate size of 910 feet (277 meters).

NASA compared the size of 2015 DR215 with a standard stadium.

The asteroid is also three and a half larger than The Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo, Egypt.

Due to its size, the asteroid is reportedly capable of causing catastrophic damage on a local or regional level in case it hits Earth.

The intensity of asteroid impacts varies depending on several factors, including the asteroid size, speed, and velocity.

According to the Space Reference organization, the stadium-sized asteroid is an Interior-Earth Asteroid (IEO), which means that the space rock is within the orbit of Earth.

This is also the reason why NASA classified the rock as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA).

Asteroid Strike Frequency

The chance of an asteroid hitting Earth is common than we think.

This category fits debris or fragments from asteroids and other space rocks like a meteorite and a comet. These rocks hit Earth on a daily basis every year and they decrease in size upon entering the planet's atmosphere,

However, planet-killing asteroids or significantly large asteroids like the size of a city or a state occur rarely than the small space rocks.

The Chicxulub crater in Mexico came from a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs and almost all life on Earth approximately 66 million years ago.

According to a study published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters on February 1, the influx of frequency of asteroid impacts on planets in the inner Solar System, including Earth and Mars, are consistent over the past 600 million years.

The study shows that time is a significant and determining factor that dictates the frequency of asteroid impacts on Earth and other planets.

In summary, the study implies that it is a matter of time when another space rock hits Earth again based on historical data.

Asteroid Threats in the Future

Planetary orbits and gravitational pull like the asteroids confined along the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, are factors in protecting Earth.

However, related asteroid threats in the future are likely-as what the previously mentioned study proposed.

In April 2029, the colossal Apophis asteroid, with a comparable size to the U.S. Capitol building, is estimated to approach and fly by Earth.

However, NASA and other authorities in the astronomical field indicate Apophis will not make a direct hit on Earth.

In the short-term timeline, NASA said asteroid 2015 DR215 will be accompanied by two other airplane-sized asteroids called 2009 DV43 and 2022 EV1 on Friday.

Related Article: Update: Massive Asteroid '2001 CB21' Nears its Approach to Fly by Earth on March 4