Asteroid the Size of a Skyscraper to Buzz by Earth
Giant Space Rock to Pass Within 17 Million Miles
Close Encounter on Friday
An asteroid the size of a 50-story skyscraper will zoom past Earth on Friday, July 17, making its closest approach to our planet in nearly 100 years.
The asteroid, designated as 2024 KH3, is estimated to be between 610 and 1,312 feet in diameter. That's larger than the Empire State Building and taller than the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.
2024 KH3 will pass within 17 million miles of Earth, or about 70 times the distance between our planet and the moon. While that may sound like a safe distance, it's close enough to warrant monitoring by astronomers.
NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has been tracking 2024 KH3 and has determined that it poses no threat to Earth. The asteroid will pass by our planet without incident and will continue on its orbit around the sun.
Nonetheless, the close encounter is a reminder of the potential dangers posed by asteroids and other near-Earth objects (NEOs). NASA has a program in place to detect and track NEOs, and the agency is working to develop technologies to deflect or destroy any NEOs that are deemed a threat.
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