A Massive Asteroid Passed
by the Earth on Thursday. While it posed no threat, experts say it came close.
The Asteroid, Named
418135, or 2008 AG33, is estimated to be between 1,150 and 2,560 feet in diameter -- as wide as eight football fields and twice as big as the Empire State Building.
At Its Closest Distance
the asteroid came within 2 million miles of Earth, which, according to NASA, is actually a concern.
Any Object That Comes
within 120 million miles of the Earth is considered a “near-Earth object”, or NEO, and any fast-moving object within 4.65 million miles is classified as potentially hazardous.
Thursday's Asteroid
skimmed past Earth at around 23,300 miles per hour.
Asteroid 2008 AG33 Last Flew
by Earth in 2015, and NASA says it does so every seven years or so. Its next appearance is expected May 25, 2029.