The asteroid in question was reportedly designated by NASA as potentially hazardous, as it is expected to approach our planet at a distance closer than 0.05 astronomical units.
A large space rock traveling at a speed of over 46,000 kilometers per hour is expected to swoop by our planet on 24 July, according to data provided by NASA.
The asteroid, 2020ND, whose 170-meter diameter would dwarf landmarks such as the London Eye, is expected to approach Earth at a distance of around 0.037 astronomical units (around 5.5 million kilometers).
The US space agency has apparently labeled 2020ND as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA), as “all asteroids with an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less”, and a certain absolute magnitude, are considered as such.
And while the probability of a major asteroid actually hitting Earth is rather small, it turns out that NASA “believes there is a one in 300,000 chance every year that a space rock which could cause regional damage will hit”, the Daily Express notes.