Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labarotory (JPL) had picked up the first asteroid, named CB2 but they have also indicated that a second asteroid will hurtle towards earth on Tuesday. The second asteroid, PV25, will barrel towards Earth at break-neck speed in what NASA’s JPL has deemed a “close approach”. Scientists at the JPL have indicated that the asteroid will fly past earth at a staggering 13,622mph or 6.09 per second.
Such is the speed of PV25 that it will be travelling towards earth at almost 17 times the speed of sound, more than double the fastest jet on the planet.
NASA also estimates that the asteroid could have a diameter of 32m to 71m or 104ft to 232ft which, if at its largest estimate, would be around three quarters the size of the Statue of Liberty.
Despite these dizzying statistics, the asteroid is classed as an Near-Earth Object (NEO).
An NEO is a comet or asteroid which is on an orbital path intersecting that of Earth’s.
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When they orbit the Sun, NEOs can sometimes come close to Earth, however, NASA uses the word “close” quite loosely.
In regards to comets and asteroid, “close” can mean and as far away as “millions or even tens of millions of kilometres” away from Earth.
In terms of PV25, it is estimated to pass by Earth at around 1.7million miles.
Moreover, NASA has also concluded that the asteroid will pass by the in its “close” approach at around 12.42pm GMT (UTC) on Tuesday February 12.
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Although it may be smaller, another asteroid will pass by earth on Sunday morning as it travels at an incredible 38-times the speed of sound.
Much faster than PV25, asteroid CB2 will be travelling at an estimated 29,125 mph.
CB2 will also come much closer but still miss the Earth by around 650,000 miles.
As NASA assures on its JPL website, “no one should be overly concerned” about the impact of an asteroid or comet as most of these rarely hit Earth while the planet’s atmosphere usually clears up smaller asteroids.