Massive Asteroid , Set to Make Close , Pass by Earth.
'Newsweek' reports that a massive
asteroid measuring up to 460 feet in diameter
is set to pass close to Earth on December 15. .
According to close approach data by NASA's
Near Earth Observatory, the asteroid will pass
by our planet at a distance of just 426,000 miles.
The asteroid, named 2015 RN35,
will be traveling at speeds of 3.67 miles
per second, or about 13,220 miles per hour.
'Newsweek' points out that our own moon orbits at
a distance of 238,900 miles away, which makes 2015
RN35's approach a very close one in astronomical terms.
According to estimates, 2015 RN35
is roughly the size of a baseball field,
between 206 and 460 feet across.
Asteroids are 'bits of a planet that didn't
happen,' that orbit the sun between Mars
and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt.
However, as they are relatively small,
asteroids can be disturbed quite
easily, so they can develop orbits
that cross those of planets, Jay Tate, the director of the U.K.'s Spaceguard
Center observatory, via 'Newsweek'.
According to NASA data,
2015 RN35 orbits the sun
once every 1.8 years. .
NASA estimates that our solar system contains about 1.1 million asteroids, many of which occupy the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. .
Asteroids that veer toward the Earth's orbit
are classified as near-Earth objects (NEOs).
Astronomers are aware of 30,000 NEOs.
'Newsweek' reports that despite the proximity
of 2015 RN35 to Earth, the chances of
the asteroid hitting our planet are very slim.