The asteroid, known as 2011, measures 49 meters (160 foot) and has been deemed \"potentially hazardous\" by NASA. The space rock will pass at close proximity on September 1 at a distance of 71,805km just one-fifth of the distance between us and the Moon (384,399km) - according to NASAs Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The asteroid will zoom by Earth at a staggering speed of 29,375kph - although it will pass our planet safely.<\/p>\n
Even in the extremely minute chance it would hit Earth, at 49 metres it would not pose a significant threat, causing a similar explosion to the Chelyabinsk incident.<\/p>\n
In 2013, a 20-metre meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, smashing windows and caused injuries to more than 1,000 people.<\/p>\n
But despite its small size, NASA has described the coming space rock as a \"potentially hazardous asteroid\".<\/p>\n
The space agency said: Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroids potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.<\/p>\n
Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less are considered PHAs.<\/p>\n
It is also a Near Earth Object (NEO), giving NASA the perfect opportunity to study the history of the solar system.<\/p>\n
NASA set on its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) website: NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earths neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
The scientific interest in comets and asteroids is due largely to their status as the relatively unchanged remnant debris from the solar system formation process some 4.6 billion years ago.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See the rest here: <\/p>\n
Asteroid close approach: NASA gearing up as asteroid to pass closer than the Moon - Express.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The asteroid, known as 2011, measures 49 meters (160 foot) and has been deemed \"potentially hazardous\" by NASA. The space rock will pass at close proximity on September 1 at a distance of 71,805km just one-fifth of the distance between us and the Moon (384,399km) - according to NASAs Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) Continue reading