NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported Monday that a series of enormous asteroids are set to fly past Earth in coming days.
The first enormous rock, which is an estimated 450 feet in size (about the size of a skyscraper), is set to fly past Tuesday, according to an update issued by NASA and the JPL. Though the rock will only come within roughly 2,230,000 miles (3,580,000 km) of our planet, this is still considered pretty darn close by astronomers. NASA classifies “Near Earth Asteroids” and “Potentially Hazardous Asteroids” as those that come within 4,500,000 kilometers of our little planet.
Friday looks to be one of the busiest days in our skies, with three huge asteroids expected to fly past us. The first is called 2007 ED125, and is roughly the size of a sports stadium or another skyscraper, NASA noted. This’ll be followed by 2017 BM123, which is about the same dimensions as an airplane.
Earth Has A Blind Spot In Our Planetary Threat Detection System https://t.co/7N55ChglDg
— Dr. Jake Baker (@DrJakeBaker) January 30, 2023
Our final skyscraper-sized rock will blow by Friday, which will be shortly followed by another airplane sized asteroid on Saturday. (RELATED: Remains Of Dinosaurs Killed The Day Massive Asteroid Hit Earth Discovered, Scientists Say)
While amateur Twitter trolls may chortle at the fact these rocks are flying by us at a range of a few million miles, even the slightest shift in these trajectories could spell absolute cataclysm and the end of our specie’s reign on Earth. A report from LiveScience noted how even if one of these rocks is “nudged by another asteroid or influenced by the gravity of a planet – could send nearby objects like these on a direct collision course with Earth.”
So, maybe let’s all pray that doesn’t happen? If it does, here’s what it might look like. Enjoy!