Asteroid 4,500 feet wide is approaching Earth this weekend, says NASA

This weekend an asteroid that NASA deems as potentially dangerous will make an approach relatively close to Earth.

On August 21 at around 11:10 a.m EDT, the asteroid named 2016 AJ193 that is estimated to be approximately 4,500 feet in diameter, will fly past Earth at more than 58,000 miles per hour. NASA has classified the asteroid as potentially hazardous. However, the asteroid will actually pass by Earth at around nine times the distance between Earth and the moon.

NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) has classified more than 27,000 near-Earth asteroids, as of August 15. CNEOS says that around 1,000 of these near-Earth asteroids are larger than 3,280 in diameter. As for 2016 AJ193, its orbit calculates to a fly-by Earth around every six years. CNEOS states on its website that "the threat to any one person from auto accidents, disease, other natural disasters and a variety of other problems is much higher than the threat from NEOs (Near Earth Objects)."

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