Racing towards Earth at speeds of around 63,081mph (101,520km/h), the asteroid will appear close to Earth around 1.45pm GMT (8.45am EST).
The asteroid’s close approach is being tracked by NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies or CNEOS.
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As of December 18, NASA has made 21 direct observations to determine the rock’s speed, size and trajectory.
NASA determined Asteroid XO3 is “potentially hazardous” Near-Earth Object (NEO) on an Earth-crossing orbit.
Quite a lot has been going on:
NASA Warns Massive Earth-Crossing Asteroid Arriving Tomorrow
NASA warned that an asteroid almost as big as the Great Pyramid of Giza will approach Earth tomorrow night. If the space rock collides with the planet, it could cause a major impact event that can take out a small town or city.
According to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the approaching asteroid is known as 2019 XF . This asteroid is currently traveling towards Earth at a speed of more than 53,000 miles per hour and has an estimated diameter of 427 feet.
Huge 1,800-Foot-Wide Asteroid Is One of Six to Fly Past Earth This Week
A huge asteroid will sail past the Earth on Friday—one of six close approaches set to take place this week, according to NASA.
Based on its brightness, the large space rock—known as 216258 (2006 WH1)—is estimated to measure between 240 and 540 meters (787 and 1,771 feet) in diameter, data from NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) shows.
At its closest approach, the asteroid will come within 0.03904 astronomical units, or around 3.6 million miles, of Earth at 3:17 UTC (10:17 EST) on December 20.
NASA Warns 2 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids To Have Near-Collisions With Earth This Week
NASA's tracking system has detected two massive potentially hazardous asteroids that are currently headed for Earth. Both asteroids are capable of causing major impact events if they collide with the planet.
The first dangerous asteroid that's currently approach Earth has been identified as 2019 XQ3 . According to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, has an estimated diameter of 1,444 feet, which makes it significantly taller than the Empire State building. The agency noted that the asteroid is currently flying across space at over 63,000 miles per hour.
This may worth something:
OSIRIS-REx, NASA's asteroid mission, will sample Bennu's Nightingale Crater - The Washington Post
SAN FRANCISCO — Plunge perilously into an alien crater. Ever-so-gently touch the asteroid's rocky surface. Suck up a few handfuls of pebbles and dust. Navigate out of the crater, avoiding the jagged rock walls and a boulder called "Mount Doom." Then fly back home to Earth.
This is the tricky task NASA has set for OSIRIS-REx , a small spacecraft on a multiyear quest to collect fragments of an asteroid. It will push the limits of the SUV-size probe, which has already set multiple solar system records for its ambitious orbits. And it will test scientists' abilities to coordinate complex space maneuvers from more than a million miles away.
NASA's Osiris-Rex Selects Target Asteroid Landing Site - The New York Times
SAN FRANCISCO — A landing pad fit for a visitor from NASA has been found on an ancient relic of our solar system.
But first the spacecraft's controllers down here had to find a place for Osiris-Rex to land. On Thursday, after a difficult year of mapping its surface, they announced their target site at the 100th annual American Geophysical Union conference in San Francisco. Named Nightingale, the area is near Bennu's north pole and lies inside a small crater within a larger crater.
Dinosaurs may have been poisoned before asteroid hit, study reveals
The researchers looked at fossilized marine mollusk shells from across the globe. The researchers discovered “what appears to be a global signal of both abrupt ocean warming and distinctly elevated mercury concentrations” caused by the mass eruption of the Deccan Traps in India, according to a statement accompanying the study.
“For the first time, we can provide insights into the distinct climatic and environmental impacts of Deccan Traps volcanism by analyzing a single material,” said Kyle Meyer, lead author of the new study, in a statement.
The Biggest Little Asteroid Observatory | The Planetary Society
Nestled among some Joshua trees in California's Mojave Desert, about two-and-a-half-hours east of Los Angeles, you'll find a modest cluster of one-room buildings with metal roofs. Each measures 12 by 10 feet, the biggest a structure can get in San Bernardino County without a building permit. The buildings are flanked by a modest house, a two-car garage, and small plot of solar arrays.
Welcome to the Center for Solar System Studies, or CS3, a cooperative of 13 research telescopes remotely operated by 5 professional and amateur astronomers. Since 2007, The Planetary Society has awarded CS3 a total of $30,000 through its Shoemaker NEO Grant Program , which helps to find, track, and characterize near-Earth objects and determine which pose a threat to Earth.
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