By
The Associated Press
A skyscraper-sized asteroid will pass within 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday.
Don't worry: there is no chance of it hitting us as it will pass at seven times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
An asteroid approaching Earth on January 31, 2024. Virtual Telescope Project / Via AP
NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies estimates that the space rock measures between 690 and 1,575 feet (1,690 and 1,575 meters) in diameter.
That means the asteroid
could be similar in size to
New York's Empire State Building or Chicago's Willis Tower.
[A timing problem (and a math error) gave way to the leap year... like 2024]
Discovered in 2008, the asteroid was designated 2008 OS7.
It won't cross our path again until 2032, but
it will be a much farther encounter
, 45 million miles away.
The harmless flyby is one of several encounters this week.
On Friday, three much smaller asteroids, no more than tens of yards (tens of meters) in diameter,
will crash harmlessly into Earth
, and two more will do so on Saturday.
On Sunday, an asteroid about half the size of 2008 0S7 will pass nearby, 4.5 million miles away.