An asteroid bigger than Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, will fly past Earth on January 18, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The asteroid is estimated to be 1 kilometer or 3,280 feet wide. The Burj Khalifa is about 2,716.5 feet in height.
NASA assured people that the asteroid, 1994 PC1, will “safely fly past our planet 1.2 million miles away”.
The asteroid will make the closest approach to Earth at 4:51 pm Eastern Time Zone, according to Space.com. In Indian Standard Time, that is 3.21 am on Wednesday. It has been classified as a "potentially hazardous" asteroid.
The asteroid could be within 12,31,184 miles of Earth, CBS reported, citing NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1933, this asteroid was estimated to have made it closest approach to Earth at 7,00,000 miles.
NASA put out a link for people to track the movement of the asteroid.
Many took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the approaching asteroid.
"When they report that something is "nearby," I always console myself by saying, "Well, that's calculated in light-years. Whew!" said a Twitter user named Audrey Jackson."
Another person wrote: "I'd be very happy if you could give me a call in case it decides to hit the earth."
Even though NASA has stated that the asteroid does not pose any danger to Earth, many people were reminded of the movie Don't Look Up, in which two astronomers try to avert a giant, and catastrophic, comet about to hit the planet.
The 2021 Netflix film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence in leading roles.
"Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence said it’s going to hit us though," said a Twitter user going by the name Definitely Human Art.
"Oh, just hit us and get it over with. #DontLookUp," said another user.
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