Huge Asteroid Will Pass Earth on May 31, Similar to What Killed Dinosaurs; Near-Earth Objects Cause Alarm

The massive asteroid 1998 QE2 will pass Earth on May 31, 2013 with a size like the Golden Gate Bridge and similar strength which killed the dinosaurs long ago.

Astronomers determine that the 1998 QE2 will not approach closer than 3.6 million miles, 15 times the distance between Earth and Moon. It is 1.7 miles long or similar to the size of the Golden Gate Bridge but will not be visible to the naked eye.

According to NASA officials, the asteroid is nine times larger than a cruise ship. A telescope with a lens at least 230 feet wide is required to view the asteroid from Earth. It is also the former comet that passed little too close to the sun and the heat literally charred the celestial object.

"Asteroid 1998 QE2 will be an outstanding radar imaging target at Goldstone and Ario and we expect to obtain a series of high-resolution images that could reveal a wealth of surface features," said astronomer Lance Benner from the Goldstone radar observations of NASA

Astronomers also assured that there will be no chance of a collision of 1998 QE2 to the Earth.

"This is a really big asteroid, similar in size to the one that killed off the dinosaurs, and it's getting very close to us. Fortunately, we've been tracking its orbit very carefully so we know with great certainty it won't hit us. We don't need to panic, but we do need to pay attention," said Amy Mianzer of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA announced the plans of direct exploration of asteroids and other near-Earth objects by sending a robotic probe in 2016. The OSIRIS-Rex mission is now under development at the University of Arizona in partnership with Lockheed Martin and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre.

Celestials Objects near Earth

The United States, European Union and other nations are closely scanning for Near-Earth Objects or NEOs using an effort called Spaceguard.

There are 9,683 NEOs discovered as of February 2013 and most of these are asteroids. NEOs under the classification potentially hazardous asteroids or PHAs are about 1,360 and roughly correspond to at least 1 kilometre in size.

Impact Rate of Celestial Objects

Asteroids with a diameter of 4 meters or 13 feet hit the Earth once per year while asteroids having 7 meters in diameter hit the Earth every 5 years which contains as much energy as Little Boy or the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan or equivalent to 15 kilo tonnes.