Asteroid the size of a building will shoot past Earth this week

NASA has confirmed an asteroid the size of a building will shoot past Earth tomorrow (Tuesday, September 1).

ACCORDING to the UK National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the huge asteroid 2011 ES4, has a diameter of between 22 and 49 metres and will be closer to the Earth than the moon as it shoots past.

But while it will be classed as ‘close’ on an astronomical scale, it poses no danger of actually colliding with the Earth.

NASA Asteroid Watch posted on its Twitter account that experts predict it will make its safe voyage at a distance of around 72,000 km – 792,000 football fields – at a relative speed of around 8.16 km per second.

Will #asteroid 2011 ES4 hit Earth? 🌎 No! 2011 ES4’s close approach is “close” on an astronomical scale but poses no danger of actually hitting Earth. #PlanetaryDefense experts expect it to safely pass by at least 45,000 miles (792,000 football fields) away on Tuesday Sept. 1.

— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) August 28, 2020

A further post by World of Engineering puts the distance at approximately 120,000 km.

NEO (near-Earth object) detected! Huge Asteroid 2011 ES4 (22 m – 49 m diameter) is expected to fly by our planet on September 1, 2020. It will pass at a distance of approximately 120,000 km from the Earth, which is a very close distance. pic.twitter.com/NUQtTiVNLF

— World of Engineering (@engineers_feed) August 30, 2020

The last time the huge asteroid shot by Earth in 2011 it was visible from ground for four days and was listed as ‘potentially hazardous’ based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make ‘threateningly close’ approaches to the Earth, according to NASA.

However, experts claim spotting the asteroid will be difficult by amateur astronomers as the mammoth asteroid, at such a huge distance, will not be emitting a tail like comets do.