It’s just an ordinary day, an ordinary week – except for that asteroid passing right by our planet. Don’t fret or go Armageddon on us, though, as it has no chance of hitting us.
Right now, the asteroid – named 2005 YU55 – is 1.38 million kilometres away, but in the next few days, the rock will actually get closer to the Earth than the moon, passing by at 324,600 kilometres from the centre of our planet.
Great news though: NASA seems pretty positive that the planet won’t be impacted by this rock, with telescopes and science telling us that it has virtually no chance of hitting the Earth for the next 100 years. Good thing too, seeing as it measures 396 metres across and would create a big earthquake and a crater almost 7 kilometres deep.
So you can continue going about your daily business as if nothing is happening.
Those of us with a keen eye for science, however, will take this opportunity to look to the skies and learn more about asteroids and space in general.
