NASA has released a warning on an asteroid that is considered to be “potentially dangerous”. The space object is called 2016 NF23 and it will pass near our planet on August 29, at a distance of 13.4 times the distance between the Moon to Earth. That’s more than three million miles (4.8million km) or just 0.03377 astronomical units
In astronomical terms, this means that it will pass near us, hence the cataloging of the asteroid as “potentially dangerous”.
The asteroid has a speed of over 20,000mph or nine kilometers per second, and its diameter is between 70-160 meters.
In recent years, NASA experts have been trying to detect dim and smaller asteroids, which are about 140 feet in diameter. Although these space objects are harder to observe, they have a potential impact would prove catastrophic. However, astronomers argue that over 90% of large asteroids with a diameter of more than 1 km have already been discovered and they are monitored constantly.
