A MASSIVE asteroid, double the size of the Empire State Building, is set to skim past Earth in just a few days’ time.
Known as 418135 (2008 AG33), this large space rock has a diameter that could measure as much as 780 meters.
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The asteroid is set to pass by the Earth on Thursday, April 28 at around 3:46 a.m. UK time, flying at a speed of around 6.46 miles per second.
According to NASA, 418135 (2008 AG33) will fly past the Earth at a distance of around 2 million miles.
For context, the Moon orbits the Earth at a distance of around 238,600 miles, so this is considerably farther, but on a cosmic scale it is still very close to the Earth.
The fact that it is flying so close to the Earth is also unsurprising.
This asteroid is known as an Apollo-class asteroid, meaning its orbit around the Sun overlaps with Earth’s own orbit.
Still, NASA has said it poses no danger to us now.
They predict that the Earth is at no risk of a catastrophic asteroid impact within the next century.
If 418135 (2008 AG33) were to strike the Earth, the impact would certainly be catastrophic.
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An asteroid of such size could devastate entire continents and cause severe cataclysms.
Meanwhile, a comet 80 miles in width is currently barreling toward the sun, according to data captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
The comet, known as Comet C/2014 UN271, is hurtling toward the inner solar system at over 22,000 miles per hour.
NASA has said the comet is currently located about 2 billion miles away and has the largest nucleus ever seen.
