THE BUZZ!
NASA Says Empire State Building-Sized Asteroid To Pass Earth Friday
Next,
Speaking of big.
A massive asteroid, about the size of the Empire State Building’s height, is set to make a safe flyby of Earth this Friday, February 2nd. Most importantly the key words are a safe flyby.
Now Asteroids are chunks of rock left over from the formation of the solar system. Most are fairly small, but some are enormous: the largest is about 600 miles across.
Our next close encounter is not that big.
Here is the breakdown:
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Name: 2008 OS7
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Size: Estimated between 690 and 1,570 feet across (think Eiffel Tower to Empire State Building)
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Distance: It’ll zoom past at a safe distance of 1.77 million miles (about 7 times farther than the Moon)
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Speed: It’ll be traveling at a whopping 40,700 mph. Much faster than a speeding bullet which in comparison, can travel at between 600 and 2,000 mph.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see it live, as most asteroids are very hard to see with the naked eye.
But you will have another chance in a few years. The next significant approach to Earth by a PHA will be the 99942 Apophis on April 14, 2029.”
Source: Newsweek
