NASA expects an enormous asteroid to make a “close approach” to Earth on Monday, November 25.
The hefty space rock measures up to 492 feet in diameter – and is officially designated as a “near-Earth object”.
Asteroids regularly make close approaches to Earth, and Nasa creates alerts for each one of these objects.
Sometimes several will even pass by in a single day – completely unnoticed by humanity.
For instance, four ‘All Saints’ asteroids skimmed past Earth on November 1, completely harmlessly.
Now Nasa has revealed that another asteroid is scheduled for an Earth fly-by on November 25.
The asteroid is called 2019 VF1, named because it was first discovered this year.
It measures up to 492 feet (150 metres) across, and will skirt Earth at 4.09am UK time – or 11.09pm on Sunday in New York.
The asteroid will be travelling at a nippy 38,498mph (61,956km/h) – about 63 times faster than the top speed of a Boeing 747 jet.
Fortunately, this gigantic space rock will pass Earth with a very wide berth.
The asteroid is expected to come no closer than 3,172,582 miles (5,105,776km).
To make you feel even better, that distance is about 13 times farther from Earth than the Moon.
Nasa categories these asteroids as “near-Earth objects” making a “close approach”, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to hit us.
They’ll pass by Earth peacefully and carry along on their way through the Solar System.
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