A large asteroid estimated to be between 1.1 and 2.5 miles wide is set to pass by Earth on April 29, but NASA reassures it's not expected to collide with our planet.
NASA reported if the asteroid was to hit Earth it would cause "global effects", but again there's no concern of impact. The asteroid is classified as a potentially hazardous object because it passes near Earth's orbit, but it's not currently on NASA's list of potential future Earth impact events. According to Planetary Scientist Dr James O'Donoghue, the asteroid will pass by Earth at a distance over 16-times farther than the moon.
Hey Earth, about that asteroid in the news, 52768(1998 OR2), it will pass by Earth at a distance over SIXTEEN times farther than our Moon! I put that *distance* to scale in the diagram below and made Earth/Moon larger so you can see them pic.twitter.com/591f7T7yXm
— Dr James O'Donoghue (@physicsJ) March 4, 2020
The asteroid was first discovered in 1998. The cosmic body will pass within 3,908,791 miles of Earth and it is moving at 19,461 miles per hour.
A flyby is expected for April 29 at about 1:56 a.m. according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies.
It will be the largest asteroid expected to zip by Earth within the next two months, but it's not the largest ever.
