The European Space Agency has reported that an asteroid, named 2023 DZ2, will safely pass between the Earth and the Moon on Saturday, 26 March 2023. The asteroid is estimated to be 40 to 70 metres (130 to 230 feet) wide, about the size of the Parthenon, and big enough to cause significant damage if it hit our planet. However, there is no need to worry as it will pass 175,000 kilometres (109,000 miles) from Earth at a speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour (17,400 miles per hour), which is still considered "very close". The asteroid will also pass Earth again in 2026, but poses no threat of impact for at least the next 100 years, according to current trajectory calculations. The close encounter will be used as a training exercise for planetary defence efforts, with astronomers analysing the asteroid using a range of instruments to determine how much can be learned about such an asteroid in only a week.