- Four asteroids, including one the size of a skyscraper, will pass by Earth on Friday, but there is no danger of collision as they will be at a safe distance.
- The largest asteroid, 2008 OS7, is comparable in size to landmarks in New York City and Chicago and won’t return until 2032, at a distance of 45 million miles from Earth.
- NASA has detected over 34,000 near-Earth asteroids in January, with 50 measuring wider than one kilometer, and has observed several asteroids passing close to Earth in recent months. The chances of an asteroid collision on Valentine’s Day in 2046 are estimated to be 1 in 607.
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Four asteroids will pass by Earth on Friday, with one of them being the size of a skyscraper. However, there is no danger of it colliding with Earth as it will be seven times the distance from Earth to the moon. The largest asteroid, named 2008 OS7, ranges from 690 to 1,575 feet in size, similar to popular landmarks in New York City and Chicago. This asteroid won’t return until 2032, but at a much greater distance of 45 million miles away.
In addition to the big asteroid, three smaller asteroids will also pass by Earth harmlessly on Friday, followed by two more on Saturday. On Sunday, an asteroid about half the size of 2008 OS7 will come within 4.5 million miles of Earth. According to NASA, 34,151 near-Earth asteroids have been detected in January, with 50 of them measuring wider than one kilometer.
Over the past year, there have been 107 near-Earth asteroids that passed closer to the moon, including seven in the last 30 days. In recent events, a small asteroid burned up in Earth’s atmosphere over Germany, while in June, an observatory captured images of an asteroid passing “very close” to Earth at high speeds. NASA is also monitoring an asteroid that could potentially collide with Earth on Valentine’s Day in 2046, but the chances of impact are estimated to be 1 in 607 by the European Space Agency.