Asteroid bigger than Burj Khalifa to fly by Earth on Sunday: NASA

NASA has confirmed that a massive asteroid, named (153201) 2000 WO107, will fly by the Earth on Sunday. The asteroid is over 800 metres in height and over 500 metres in diameter, making it much larger than the Burj Khalifa.

According to the space agency, the asteroid will fly by Earth at 10:38 AM Indian Time, and at its closet to the planet, it will be at a distance of around 43 lakh kilometres.

A snapshot of the orbit of the asteroid (153201) 2000 WO107, showing a brief intersection with Earth's orbit. Credit: NASA.

The space agency has classified the asteroid as a Near-Earth Object of the Aten class, and its Jet Propulsion Labratory shows that the asteroid's orbit intersects with Earth. It was discovered in New Mexico in November 2000, and NASA has been tracking it ever since.

The asteroid was last seen in January 2018, and after the flyby, it will be next seen in February 2031, according to reports.