Asteroid larger than Empire State Building to zoom by Earth this month

First that meteor in Pittsburgh, now this? (photo by Chris Henry via Unsplash)
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First there was that meteor in Pittsburgh last week, now this.

An asteroid that’s estimated to be larger than the Empire State Building is due to zoom by Earth within the next two weeks or so, possibly on January 18.

Science Alert details how the asteroid—known by the name asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1—was first noticed by professional stargazers nearly 30 years ago (in 1994, actually, as the name implies). The space rock is measured to be about 3,280 feet in size, about two and a half times larger than the famous New York City edifice, although astronomers promise there’s no cause for concern.

For one thing, an asteroid this size is only predicted to collide with the Earth roughly once every 600,000 years, so the odds of some Earth-shattering boom are slim to none.

For another, although classified as “Potentially Hazardous,” scientists have assured the public that asteroid (7482) 1994 PC1 will pass Earth by at a distance of about. 1.2 million miles away. Even with a margin error of -83 miles, that’s not really all too bad, now, is it?

Earth Sky further details how the massive space rock will be traveling at a speed of nearly 44,000 miles per hour. That’s not nearly fast enough to not be seen by amateur stargazers, and you can potentially catch a glimpse of the asteroid as it moseys along should you happen to have a backyard telescope.

Keep your eyes peeled to the skies, then, particularly on that Jan. 18 date at around 4:51 p.m. (ET).

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