A “potentially hazardous” asteroid that is as large as the Empire State Building will zoom past Earth next week on Aug. 10. But it’s not anything to worry about, according to experts.
Known as a near-Earth object (NEO), asteroid 2006 QQ23 will come within approximately 4.65 million miles, according to data compiled by NASA. However, the space rock has been orbiting Earth since at least 1901 (when records date back to) and NASA has mapped out its orbit all the way to February 2200, so it’s not a cause for alarm.
In November 2017, its orbit took it flying past Venus. The last time it zoomed past Earth was Jan. 17, 2017, the space agency noted.
MASSIVE, KILOMETER-SIZED ASTEROID WAS JUST FOUND ORBITING THE SUN
According to a 2018 report put together by Planetary.org, there are more than 18,000 NEOs.
One-thousand eight-hundred seventy feet in diameter, 2006 QQ23 will blow past Earth at 10,400 mph, but if it hit the planet, it could cause some serious damage.
Asteroid 2019 OK zipped past Earth late last month, coming within 43,500 miles as it traveled at a robust speed of 15 miles a second. Only spotted a few days prior to its passing, the asteroid was labeled a “city-killer” if it had struck the planet in a densely populated area. – READ MORE