Asteroid that may be the size of Empire State Building to zoom past Earth – CBS News

Asteroid 2002 NN4 is estimated to be 250-570 meters(820-1,870 feet) in diameter, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). New York City’s iconic Empire State Building is more than 1,400 feet high at its idea.

The asteroid might seem daunting, however it will pass Earth at a safe range, an agent for JPL told CBS News.

Information about the asteroid is listed on NASA’s

Center for Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) website, which keeps track of close approaches to Earth. Numerous other items are anticipated to fly through area near Earth this week, according to the information.

NASA has built a

widget Star gazers can keep track of asteroids that might appear in the night sky. The widget keeps track of any Earth methods within 4.6 million miles of the planet. The tool also uses common Earth items to compare asteroids’ sizes. Some asteroids are as big as houses, others planes, and some are as large as arenas, the widget reveals.

While it is not likely for an asteroid to strike Earth anytime soon, scientists have actually prepared simply in case. Researchers from worldwide collected at a 2019 conference and

discussed how to respond to an asteroid huge enough to ruin a major city.

“All we have to do is change its speed a little faster or a little slower so that when it crosses Earth’s orbit, it crosses either in front of us or behind us,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, director of planetary science at NASA.

There are 20,000 near-Earth asteroids and they do occasionally make an appearance. In 2013, one knocked into Russia, hurting 1,600 people.

“It doesn’t truly keep me up at night,” Glaze said.

NASA is keeping an eye on an asteroid that may be as big as the Empire State Building, expected to pass Earth on Saturday, June 6.

Star gazers can keep track of asteroids that might appear in the night sky. The tool likewise uses common Earth objects to compare asteroids’ sizes. While it is not likely for an asteroid to strike Earth anytime quickly, scientists have prepared just in case.

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