Big Ben-sized asteroid to skim past Earth in close flyby
- 5 years ago
SPACE — A large asteroid hurtling through space at breakneck speeds is going to pass by our planet, but don't worry — it's not gonna hit.
NASA's asteroid trackers have been monitoring asteroid 2013 MD8 since its discovery in 2013. The space rock measures between 128 to 282 feet, making it nearly as tall as London's Big Ben.
2013 MD8 is classified as a Near Earth Object. These are asteroids and comets composed of water ice and embedded dust particles, which are nudged by gravitational attraction into a trajectory that allows them to cut into Earth's orbit.
NASA announced that the asteroid will pass Earth on February 19, at 12:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, while traveling at a speed of 30,418 miles per hour.
At its closest, 2013 MD8 will be 0.0387 astronomical units from Earth, or roughly 15.1 lunar distances.
According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the space rock's next close approach to Earth won't be until January 28, 2022.
NASA's asteroid trackers have been monitoring asteroid 2013 MD8 since its discovery in 2013. The space rock measures between 128 to 282 feet, making it nearly as tall as London's Big Ben.
2013 MD8 is classified as a Near Earth Object. These are asteroids and comets composed of water ice and embedded dust particles, which are nudged by gravitational attraction into a trajectory that allows them to cut into Earth's orbit.
NASA announced that the asteroid will pass Earth on February 19, at 12:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, while traveling at a speed of 30,418 miles per hour.
At its closest, 2013 MD8 will be 0.0387 astronomical units from Earth, or roughly 15.1 lunar distances.
According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the space rock's next close approach to Earth won't be until January 28, 2022.