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A quartet of particularly heftyasteroids , include two that were discovered earlier this calendar month and another that is as magniloquent as a skyscraper , will make their close-fitting plan of attack to Earth on Thursday ( Oct. 24 ) — all within 12 hours of one another . The " potentially risky " place rocks will all get similarly close to our planet , but pose zero threat to life on Earth .
The first asteroid to make its closest approach will be2015 HM1 , also the smallest of the four space rock at around 100 foot ( 30 cadence ) across . It will reach its closest point to our major planet at around 4:36 a.m. UTC ( 0:36 a.m. EDT ) when it reach a minimum length of 3.4 million miles ( 5.5 million km ) from us , concord toNASA ’s Asteroid Watch dashboard . ( That ’s roughly 14 clock time theaverage distance between Earth and the moon . )
Four large space rocks, between 100 and 580 feet across, will reach their closest points to Earth in quick succession on Thursday (Oct. 24).
The next visitant will be the roughly 170 - foot - full ( 52 megabyte ) space rock2024 TP17 , which will make its tight approach at around 8:20 a.m. UTC ( 4:20 a.m. EDT ) and will get to within 2.9 million geographical mile ( 4.7 million km ) of our planet .
The last two asteroid — 2002 NV16and2024 TR6 — will make their close approaching within just four minute of each other . 2002 NV16 , which is around 580 base ( 177 m ) across , making it the largest of the four , will accomplish a minimum aloofness of 2.8 million miles ( 4.5 million km ) at around 15:47 p.m. UTC ( 11:47 a.m. EDT ) . It will be speedily followed by the 150 - foot - wide ( 46 m ) asteroid 2024 TR6 , which will derive within 3.5 million international nautical mile ( 5.6 million kilometer ) of Earth at 15:51 p.m. UTC ( 11:51 a.m. EDT ) .
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The largest asteroid of the incoming quartet, 2002 NV16, will reach a minimum distance of 2.8 million miles from Earth, which is slightly closer than the other three space rocks will get to us.
Two of the four asteroid — 2024 TR6 and 2024 TP17 — were only of late strike : the former was ab initio spot on Oct. 7 , and the latter was first seen on Oct. 12 . That ’s not unusual ; astronomers spot around 2,000 near - Earth asteroids every year , most of which are make out as they near their close approaches to Earth , according to theCatalina Sky Survey .
The asteroids are alllisted as potentially hazardousbecause their reach around the sun bring them within 30 million knot ( 48 million km ) of Earth . Most of them are not magnanimous enough to cause widespread damage if they ever hit the planet ( which they wo n’t ) . However , the largest of the incoming rock’n’roll , 2002 NV16 , is great enough towipe out a large city and induce major planet - wide issue .
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The asteroids will not be visible from Earth . However , scientist may be capable to capture radar images of the space rocks , which could help oneself reveal more data about the new discover objects . Similar grainy images of late captured abizarre snowman - shaped asteroidas it tumbled past Earth and revealed anunexpected trajectory change for a Great Pyramid - size space rock and roll .
Some of the approach asteroid will make even closer flybys of Earth over the next few decades : 2024 TR6 will return on Aug. 5 , 2039 , when it will reach a minimum space of 1.2 million miles ( 1.9 million km ) from our satellite ; and 2024 TP17 will get to within 1.3 million miles ( 2.1 million kilometer ) of Earth on Oct. 25 , 2040 .
