An Asteroid The Size Of London's Big Ben Tower Will Cross Earth This Week

Asteroid Illustration (Twitter @nasaastroidwatch)

JAKARTA - A large asteroid which is estimated to have the size of Big Ben's tower in London will pass through Earth this week. Dubbed TGI 2020, the space rock will fly safely past Earth on Thursday, October 22 at 10:49 p.m. EST.

Quoting Fox News, Tuesday, October 20, according to researchers from NASA's Center for Near Objects Studies, they estimate TGI 2020 is moving at a speed of about 30,700 miles per hour and will fly past the planet more than 7 million miles away.

This asteroid is classified as the Apollo asteroid, which is the space rock, through which it crosses Earth's orbit as they pass through space.

TGI 2020 actually crossed the Earth on April 20, 2013, and is expected to not approach Earth again until February 6, 2024. Unfortunately, the estimate missed, the asteroid is approaching faster.

Scientists estimate that the 2020 TGI will be between 154 and 360 feet wide. Currently, a team of NASA astronomers is tracking about 2,000 asteroids, comets, and other objects that can fly close to Earth.

NASA says the celestial bodies are categorized as potentially dangerous Near Earth Objects (NEO) and are defined as space objects that are within 0.05 astronomical units and measure more than 460 feet in diameter.

According to a 2018 report compiled by Planetary.org, there are more than 18,000 NEO in the Solar System. In August, an asteroid the size of a truck was known to fly within 2,000 miles of Earth, the closest ever recorded. It was missed by NASA until it flew past the planet.

Most asteroids will not come into contact with Earth's atmosphere, but in rare cases they can cause problems for the weather system.

▶ ️ LIVE NOW: Tomorrow is TAG day! In anticipation, @OSIRISREx mission experts are answering pressing questions about asteroid science and planetary defense. Get your learn on: https://t.co/mzKW5uV4hS Questions? Use #ToBennuAndBack pic.twitter.com/JLNZqJ5S9a

- NASA (@NASA) October 19, 2020

In 2018, NASA launched a 20-page plan detailing steps the United States (US) should take to better prepare for NEO, such as asteroids and comets that come within 30 million miles of the planet.

Unfortunately, the US is currently more focused on sending people to the Moon and Mars than on asteroids that have a greater impact on living things on Earth.

The same thing was admitted by NASA spokesman Jim Bridenstine, who said in April 2019 that an asteroid strike is not something that can be taken lightly and is probably the biggest threat to Earth.