NASA has issued an alert as a “stadium-sized” asteroid is projected to make a close pass of Earth tonight.
The space rock, named 2024 ON, is 290 metres in length and will pass close to the planet this evening according to the US space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
It seems however that those concerned about a potential impact with Earth can rest easy, as despite the agency’s description of a “close approach”, the asteroid will be no closer than 1 million km from the planet.
On its current trajectory, there is no possibility of it hitting Earth, with the rock being further away than both Mars and Venus.
Despite this, the agency still refers to it as a “near-Earth object” (NEO) that it ensures is monitored for any changes to its current course.
The space agency’s definition reads: “NEOs are comets and asteroids that have been nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood.”
NASA describes the asteroid as being 99 percent larger than other near-earth objects but will still require a telescope to see it due to the distance from the planet.
Travelling at 19,685 miles per hour, approximately 25 times the speed of sound, the “potentially hazardous” asteroid is becoming a regular visitor to the solar system.
It first passed close to Earth in 2013 and is projected to pass by once more in 2035.
The agency is keen to stress that events such as this are relatively common, with a list of anticipated pass-bys on their website.
NASA continually monitors any object with the potential to cause damage to the planet’s defence and has strategies for ensuring Earth’s safety from space-borne danger.