A newly discovered asteroid named 2023 DZ2 will fly past Earth on Saturday at a distance of more than 160,000 kilometers without posing any danger, NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office said, Xinhua reported.

asteroid (2)Photo: MARK GARLIC / Sciencephoto / Profimedia

The asteroid, about 55 meters in diameter, is currently traveling at 36.84 kilometers per second, according to NASA’s real-time tracker.

Such events are common, but an asteroid approach of this size only happens once every decade, according to NASA, presenting a unique opportunity for science.

According to the US space agency, astronomers from the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) will monitor the asteroid’s passage to learn more about planetary defenses. (Source: Agerpres)