Asteroid About The Size Of 2 Football Fields To Make Close Approach To Earth In September | FOX 4...

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* A massive asteroid, estimated to be around 1,640 feet in diameter, passed close to Earth on August 25, with a closest approach of about 1. 1 million miles (1. 8 million kilometers). This is roughly the same distance as the distance between Earth and the Moon. * A small asteroid, the size of an SUV, made a close approach to Earth on August 21, with a closest distance of about 27,000 miles (43,000 kilometers). Astronomers described the event as "relatively harmless". * An asteroid, roughly the size of a football field, will make a close approach to Earth on September 12, with a closest distance of about 184,000 miles (297,000 kilometers). This asteroid was previously thought to be a dwarf planet. * An asteroid, about 120 feet in diameter, exploded over the Pacific Ocean on August 16, releasing a burst of energy equivalent to 1. 5 megatons of TNT. * Astronomers detected an asteroid... about 1,000 feet in diameter, making a close approach to Earth on August 16, with a closest distance of about 2. 4 million miles (3. 8 million kilometers). * Scientists are monitoring a large asteroid, "approximately 1."5 miles (2. 4 kilometers) in diameter, "that is expected to make a close approach to Earth on September 22.".. with a closest distance of about 2. 5 million miles (4 million kilometers).

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FILE, Feb. 2024 - NASA collected its first-ever asteroid samples from deep space. Daniel Brown at Nottingham Trent University joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to discuss the significance of the mission.

In a few weeks, skygazers will be able to see asteroid ⁘2024 ON⁘ as it swings by Earth at an astronomically close, but still safe distance, according to the Virtual Telescope Project.

Measuring at least 720 feet wide, or about the length of two football fields, the asteroid will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

The asteroid will zoom past Earth from just about 620,000 miles, or about 2.6 times the distance between Earth and the Moon , making its flyby from a close but safe distance. A similar close approach happens on average one time every 10 years, the Virtual Telescope Project said.

Skygazers can watch its approach starting on Sept. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET through the Virtual Telescope live feed online here .

Asteroids are pieces of rock left over after the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago, NASA said.