2.5-Mile-Long Asteroid Flying Close To Earth On April 29th

Argenis Ortiz / Facebook

On April 29th, a massive asteroid moving at speeds of 19 thousand mph is expected to make a close approach to Earth. The asteroid is a staggering 2.5 miles long (that’s 13,451 feet) and has the potential to wipe us all out if it collides with our planet.

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Fortunately, they say it will not make contact. It will pass by about 3.9 million miles from Earth. They’re calling it 52768 (1998 OR2), and it’s been observed by NASA for a while now. It’s being monitored and tracked by the Center for Near Earth Object Studies in California because an asteroid this big can absolutely destroy the planet if we don’t keep an eye on it.

The Planetary Society says if an asteroid is bigger than 0.6 miles across, it is big enough to cause massive damage to the Earth. These types of asteroids have about a 1 and 50,000 chance of hitting Earth every 100 years.

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Dr. Bruce Betts from the international group of astronomers said that earth comes in contact with small asteroids all the time, however, almost all of them get burnt to a crisp as they enter the earth’s atmosphere.

Dr. Betts talked about an asteroid that was 60-foot across that hit earth in 2013 and created a shock wave that shattered windows and caused injuries to those in the blast zone. He added that an asteroid that is 120-foot across could completely destroy a city or create a massive tsunami.

Video Below Shows Path Of Asteroid Coming Close To Earth