An asteroid about the size of a bus and first spotted on Christmas Day will buzz by Earth today at a speed of 21,000 mph, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Named 2017 YZ4, the space object will barrel by the Earth at a distance of just 139,433 miles (224,000km)— a near miss in terms of astrological measurements.
‘This is the first known asteroid to fly by Earth within one lunar distance, since two such asteroids flew past us 35 minutes apart on November 21, and the 52nd this year’, a NASA spokesperson told the Express.
For reference, the distance between the Earth and the moon is 238,855 miles (384,400 km).
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