An asteroid up to three
times larger than a blue whale will zoom past Earth on Monday (June 6) at more than 16,000 mph
The asteroid, named
2021 GT2, is predicted to safely miss our planet by more than 2.2 million miles (3.5 million kilometers)
2021 GT2 is an Aten-class
asteroid, meaning it orbits the sun more closely than Earth does , and its orbital path crosses Earth's orbit.
Astronomers know of
more than 1,800 such asteroids — many of which are considered potentially hazardous
Its next close approach
to Earth will occur on Jan. 26, 2034, when the asteroid passes within 9 million miles of our planet
Scientists want to be
ready if a near-Earth asteroid's trajectory should suddenly change following an unexpected incident