Connect with us

Technology

Nasa warns of incoming asteroid set to zip past Earth at 50,000mph TODAY

NASA’S has revealed than an asteroid larger than Big Ben is set to shoot past Earth today.

The large space rock is set to make a close approach later this evening.

The asteroid isn’t expected to collide with Earth and should stay 1,804,450 miles away

Asteroid 2021RL3 is said to be anywhere between 160 feet to 360 feet wide.

The Elizabeth Tower in central London, commonly called Big Ben after the bell inside, is around 315 feet.

The whopping asteroid is travelling around 50,000mph.

The good news is it isn’t actually expected to impact Earth.

It will actually be around 1,804,450 miles away.


The closest passing should happen around 22.30 GMT (18:30 ET).

You may think over a million miles seems far away but it’s actually pretty close in space terms.

Any fast moving space object that comes within around 4.65 million miles is considered to be “potentially hazardous” by cautious space organisations.

That’s why Nasa can comfortably label Asteroid 2021RL3 as a “close approach” asteroid.

For comparison, the Moon is just 238,855 miles away.

Get all the latest Science newsKeep up-to-date with the top Space & Astronomy storiesAll the latest Archaelogy news from dinosaurs to Ancient artefacts

Find out more about science

Want to know more about the weird and wonderful world of science? From the Moon to the human body, we have you covered…

When is the next Full Moon?
What is a Super Moon?
What is SpaceX?
Where is the edge of space?
How many bones are in the human body?
How many chromosomes do humans have?
What causes a volcano to erupt?
Which sharks attack the most humans?
What are the conspiracy theories about the world ending?
All the UFO sightings and whether aliens are real
Which country has the most earthquakes?

 

In other news, blood, sweat and tears from astronauts has been used to make a new ‘space concrete’ that could aid construction on Mars.

Musk is working on a Tesla robot that looks like a human – and will perform “boring or dangerous tasks”.

And, Nasa’s Mars helicopter has been whizzing across the red planet.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk

Exit mobile version