An asteroid the size of Brooklyn Bridge will pass Earth on Thursday

A 1,600 foot long asteroid known as 2020 DB5 is set to pass Earth on Thursdays. According to NASA, its size and proximity make it possibly dangerous.

According to NASA, an asteroid about the length of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City will pass within 2.6 million miles of Earth on Thursday, making it a potentially dangerous object.

The 2020 DB5 asteroid, which is the largest of the next five asteroids being tracked by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is 1,600 feet long. Although there is no danger of it colliding with Earth, the laboratory considers it potentially dangerous due to its size and predicted proximity.

The laboratory keeps track of any comets or asteroids whose orbits will pass within 4.6 miles of Earth. The lab is managed by the California Institute of Technology on behalf of NASA. According to the lab, any object that can approach the Earth within this range and is larger than approximately 150 meters (492 feet) becomes potentially hazardous.

According to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, the orbit of asteroid 2020 DB5 has brought it close to Earth six times since 1905. According to the center, the asteroid won't come close to Earth again until May 2, 2048, more than a decade after its previous encounter on June 23, 1995.

Another smaller asteroid, 45 feet long and 3.2 million miles away, will pass by Earth on Saturday later in the week.