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A huge city sized meteor slams into the earth's atmosphere creating shock waves. Mass extinction event 3D science illustration.

Large asteroid to zip between Earth and Moon’s orbit on March 25, unlikely to hit us


An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the Moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies.

Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away. That’s less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes.

While asteroid flybys are common, NASA said it’s rare for one so big to come so close about once a decade. Scientists estimate its size somewhere between 130 feet and 300 feet (40 meters and 90 meters).

Also read: NASA revives Psyche asteroid mission with October 2023 launch window

Asteroid won’t be back until 2026

Discovered a month ago, the asteroid known as 2023 DZ2 will pass within 320,000 miles (515,000 kilometers) of the moon on Saturday and, several hours later, buzz the Indian Ocean at about 17,500 mph (28,000 kph).

There is no chance of this city killer striking Earth, but its close approach offers a great opportunity for observations, the European Space Agency’s planetary defense chief Richard Moissl said in a statement.

Also read: NASA succeeds in DART mission, nudges asteroid off course

Astronomers with the International Asteroid Warning Network see it as good practice for planetary defense if and when a dangerous asteroid heads our way, according to NASA.

The Virtual Telescope Project will provide a live webcast of the close approach. The asteroid won’t be back our way again until 2026. Although there initially seemed to be a slight chance it might strike Earth then, scientists have since ruled that out.

(With Agency inputs)

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