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| A giant asteroid is to hurtle past the Earth at 27,000 miles per hour. |
By Cho Hyun-eui
A potentially hazardous asteroid more than three times the size of a football field will come close to Earth soon, The Guardian reported Monday.
The space rock named as "2000 EM26" is defined as a near Earth object (NEO) which is large enough to cause significant damage if it did hit.
It is expected to travel at 27,000 miles an hour. Its closest approach to earth is this Thursday at 11 a.m.
Scientists said that 2000 EM26 will less likely cause much damage this time, but it is important to be always ready for the unexpected hit.
Slooh astronomer Dr Bob Berman said, "Discovering and tracking all NEOs, as well as setting up contingency plans for deflecting them on short notice would be a wise use of resources."
