A massive 540-foot asteroid, 2014 TN17, is heading towards Earth at an astonishing velocity of 77,282 km/h, space agency NASA has announced.
The asteroid, which is approximately twice the size of Taj Mahal, belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth objects (NEOs) and is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). Although its trajectory currently poses no threat, its designation as a PHA means it warrants continuous monitoring as any shift in its trajectory due to gravitational pull of other planets or crash with space debris can lead to the asteroid hitting Earth.
As per the space agency, the massive rock will make its closest approach on March 26, 2025, at 5:04 pm IST, coming within 5 million kilometers of Earth—more than 13 times the Earth-Moon distance.
2014 TN17 is an Apollo family near-Earth object (NEO), one class of asteroids that crosses the orbit of Earth. These bodies, while in most instances safely passing by the Earth, have the potential to strike the planet in the future if their orbits are altered.
The Apollo asteroids are being closely watched by astronomers because a small deviation in their path would be catastrophic for Earth in the form of a catastrophic collision.
NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), along with global space agencies, tracks such asteroids using telescopes, radar systems, and amateur astronomers worldwide.
If an asteroid of this size hits Earth, it has the potential to release energy equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs. This can flatten entire regions and even change the weather pattern. One of the best-known incidents is the Tunguska event in Siberia when an explosion occurred and flattened 80 million trees. It is considered to have been caused by an object roughly half the size of 2014 TN17.