An asteroid as tall as the Seattle Space Needle is expected to whiz by Earth on Tuesday.
The 600-foot tall asteroid, known as 2021 KT1, was classified by NASA as a “potentially hazardous object” because of its size and how close it will come to our planet.
Although the asteroid will pass Earth from a distance of 4.6 million miles, that’s considered a close shave by space agency standards. It is not expected to crash on Earth, but NASA is still keeping a close on the massive asteroid.
The asteroid will pass Earth at a speed of nearly 40,000 mph, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is tracking it.
An additional four asteroids ranging in size from a house to an airplane will speed by Earth this week, with the last expected to streak by on Wednesday. NASA says none of the asteroids is a threat.
The last asteroid to come this close to Earth was 12,000 miles away from the planet’s surface in April.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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