Dhaka, Aug 30 (UNB) - Large asteroids are considered to be a concern when they come near our planet. These celestial objects orbit the Sun and at times they tend to come too close to the Earth. Now, two giant asteroids are set to fly close to the Earth on September 14. Earlier this month, NASA warned about asteroid 2000 QW7, which is the size of the Burj Khalifa, that is set to whiz past our planet at a speed of 23,100 km per hours on September 14. It seems that this asteroid won’t be the lone one we have to deal with on that day, reports The Indian Express.

According to a report by Mashable, another asteroid named 2010 CO1 will also be passing by the Earth within a 24-hour period. Both the asteroids are classified as Near-Earth Objects by NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

As per the report, 2000 QW7 asteroid will be the first of the two which will go past the Earth. The asteroid measures between 290 metres and 650 metres in width and it is almost 828 metres in height. The asteroid will be 0.035428 astronomical units (AU), which is approximately 5.3 million kilometers from the Earth. An AU can be defined as the distance between the Sun and the Earth.

On the other hand, asteroid 2010 CO1 will be the second celestial body taht will fly past the Earth on September 14. This asteroid was discovered on January 2010. According to the report, it is 260 meters wide and 120 meters long and is trevelling with a speed of 51,696 kilometres per hour. This asteroid has been classified as an Apollo Asteroid by NASA, as this is a Near-Earth asteroid and has a wide orbit with a perihelion distance less than 1.017 AU, and semi-major axis greater than 1 AU.

While there are many asteroids and meteors of different shapes and sizes that go past the Earth almost every day, not all these celestial bodies pose a threat to our planet. However, there are a handful of near-Earth objects in the space which can be potentially dangerous for our planet. One such celestial object happens to be Apophis 99942 asteroid. Scientists have predicted the impact date of the Apophis 99942 a number of times in the past.

Recently a well-known astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, in an episode of his podcast ‘Cosmic Queries’ had discussed about the threat that is posed by giant asteroids heading towards the Earth. He had warned that the 370-meter wide Near-Earth asteroid Apophis 99942 might spark a major tsunami that can potentially wipe out the entire west coast of North America if it manages to hit the Earth.

Apart from Tyson, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk recently predicted that a huge asteroid will eventually hit the Earth and there may not be any way to defend it.