Asteroid VR12 WARNING: When will the monstrous skyscraper-sized asteroid pass Earth?

VR12 is nearing our planet with every passing second as the terrifying combination of space rock, ice and metal speeds through the cosmos.

With a diameter of 287 metres the asteroid is a sight to behold – almost as wide as London’s imposing Shard skyscraper is tall.

VR12 has now been named one of 1,882 asteroids that are described as ‘potentially hazardous’ as it makes its approach to the planet.

Hitting terrifying speeds of 6.3 kilometres per second, or 22,680 kmh, astronomers expect the astroid from the depths of space to skim past the planet tomorrow, March 7 around 7.53am TDB.

Thankfully there appears to be absolutely no cause for concern because the speeding asteroid will just about miss the planet.

At its minimum distance, expects the asteroid to approach Earth within 0.09 AU, or 1,346,380 km.

Asteroid VR12’s path will take it within 3.8 Lunar Distances of the Planet, where one LD is the average distance between Earth and the Moon.

But the VR12 is still listed on the American space agency’s list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs).

Asteroid warning: Asteroid 2017 VR heading to EarthGETTY

Asteroid 2017 VR12 is barreling towards Earth at incredible speeds

NASA’s astronomers categories PHAs as space rocks bigger than 100 metres in diameter, which run the risk of coming closer to Earth than 0.05 AU, or 7,479,894 km.

The space agency explained: “Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth.

“Specifically, all asteroids with an Earth Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or less are considered PHAs.

“In other words, asteroids that can’t get any closer to the Earth (i.e., MOID) than 0.05 au (roughly 7,480,000 km or 4,650,000 mi) or are smaller than about 140 m (~500 ft) in diameter (i.e., H = 22.0 with assumed albedo of 14%) are not considered PHAs.”

Asteroid 2017 VR12 was first discovered on November 10 2017 by the The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) observatory in Hawaii.

Potentially Hazardous Asteroids are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth

NASA


Based on its orbital movement, NASA has been able to track its movement through time.

VR12 last fellow past Earth on June 17 2010 and will next visit the planet on march 19 in the year 2026.

But as horrendous as the prospect of VR12 may be, the reality is that hundreds of smaller asteroids pelt the planet on a daily basis, and burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the ground.

NASA said: “Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles.

Asteroid 2017 VR12 in spaceGETTY

Asteroid 2017 VR12 is about 300 metres in diameter

“About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth’s atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface.

“Every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.

“Only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth’s civilisation comes along. Impact craters on Earth, the moon and other planetary bodies are evidence of these occurrences.”

In March alone, around 16 asteroids are expected to flyby the planet to greater or lesser distances.

The next asteroid, asteroid 2018 BK7, will zoom by on Friday March 9, nearing the planet within 3,955,201 km.