Asteroid twice as large as the Empire State Building flies to Earth 30 times faster than sound

An asteroid twice the size of the Empire State Building will fly to Earth tonight at 30 times the speed of sound, says NASA.

According to the Daily Mail, NASA in any case points out that it will not come close enough to cause problems.

The space rock, called 418135 (2008 AG33), will reach about two million miles from the planet, which is about eight times farther from Earth than the moon.

As it enters Earth’s orbit and reaches its closest point, the asteroid will travel at 23,300 miles per hour, or about 30 times the speed of sound.

Up to 2,560 feet in diameter, the space rock has been identified as potentially dangerous by NASA.

Asteroid 418135 (2008 AG33) is not a new find as it was first discovered in January 2008 by astronomers at Mt Lemmon SkyCenter in Arizona and last made a “close approach” to Earth in March 2015.

Its next relatively close approach to Earth is not expected to happen until May 2029, according to NASA, unless something is done to shift its orbit – but that is unlikely.

DAILY MAIL

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