Asteroid alert: NASA tracks four rocks barreling past Earth – Will the asteroids hit?

The asteroids will come flying past Earth on near-miss trajectories dubbed “Earth Close Approaches”. All four asteroids will close-in on Earth on Wednesday, October 2, with the first rock arriving in the wee morning hours. The asteroid, dubbed by NASA Asteroid 2019 SD8, will approach Earth around 3.29am BST (2.29am UTC). When this happens, NASA said the asteroid will fly at speeds of around 10.90km per second or 24,382mph (39,240kph).

What do we know about the four asteroids flying past Earth?

According to NASA’s asteroid trackers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, the four objects are classified as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

NEOs are all asteroids and comets that orbit the Sun within the confines of the inner solar system.

NEOs wildly vary in size but they frequently cross Earth’s orbit of the Sun.

The US space agency said: “As they orbit the Sun, Near-Earth Objects occasionally approach close to Earth.

“Note that a ‘close’ passage astronomically can be very far away in human terms: millions or even tens of millions of kilometres.”

FIND OUT MORE: How often do asteroids hit Earth? What is the danger?

Asteroid news: Giant space rock flying over Earth

Asteroid alert: Four space rocks will shoot past the planet on Wednesday, October 2 (Image: GETTY)

Asteroid news: Giant space rock flying over Earth

Asteroid news: The first space rock will approach the planet in the wee morning hours (Image: GETTY)

What do we know about Asteroid 2019 SD8?

Asteroid SD8 is the first of the four rocky bodies to approach our homeworld tomorrow.

NASA first began tracking the asteroid on September 22 this year.

Near-Earth Objects occasionally approach close to Earth

NASA

Since then, NASA has estimated the rock measures somewhere in the range of 29.7ft to 65.6ft (9m to 20m) in diameter.

The asteroid is hurtling through space at speeds of around 10.90km per second or 24,382mph (39,240kph).

NASA expects SD8 to reach its closest flyby of Earth around 3.29am BST (2.29am UTC) tomorrow.

READ MORE: Expert fears NASA can’t stop an asteroid impact – ‘Insanely irresponsible’

What do we know about Asteroid 2019 SX3?

The next asteroid to appear tomorrow is the larger Asteroid 2019 SX3.

Astronomers first caught a glimpse of the rock on September 25, just three days after Asteroid SD8.

Based on a total of 69 orbital observations, NASA estimates the rock measures in the range of 75.5ft to 164ft (23m to 50m) across.

On its closest approach, SX3 will dash past Earth at speeds of around 8.73km per second or 19,528mph (31,428kph).

The asteroid will appear around 7am BST (6am UTC).

READ MORE: Billions of people will die in asteroid impact – shock warning

What do we know about Asteroid 2019 SA6?

Asteroid SA6 is the third space rock to visit our planet on Wednesday.

The asteroid is the fastest and the biggest of the four space rocks tracked by NASA.

The space agency predicts SA6 will close-in on Earth around 4.35pm BST (3.35pm UTC).

Asteroid SA6 measures somewhere in the range of 75.5ft to 167ft (23m to 51m)

The asteroid is flying through the solar system at speeds of around 16.58km per second or 37,088mph (59,688kph).

Asteroid news: Facts about asteroid and comets

Asteroid news: Interesting facts about asteroids and comets (Image: GETTY)

Asteroid news: Giant space rock flying over Earth

Asteroid news: Thankfully, none of the asteroids will hit the Earth this week (Image: GETTY)

What do we know about asteroid 2018 LG4?

The fourth asteroid to skim the planet on Wednesday is Asteroid 2018 LG4.

Astronomers first spotted the space rock on June 8, 2018.

NASA has since estimated LG4 measures somewhere in the range of 30ft to 68.8ft (9m to 21m) in diameter.

Asteroid LG4 is the slowest of the four objects, travelling at a speed of around 8.09km per second or 18,096mph (29,124kph).

Will any of the asteroids hit the planet tomorrow?

Thankfully, the risk of impact on Wednesday is nonexistent and the four space rocks will give our planet a wide berth.

The closest of the asteroids will fly-by from a close margin of 0.00356 astronomical units.

A single astronomical measures the distance from Earth to the Sun – 93 million miles (149.6 million km).

In other words, NASA expects the asteroid to miss us by about 330,922 miles (532,668 million km).

This is only 1.38 times the distance from Earth to the Moon.

source: express.co.uk