Asteroid horror: NASA tracks a rock taller than Empire State Building flying past Earth

Many of these rocky bodies intersect the Earth’s orbit throughout the years and sometimes they hit the planet.

In this particular case, Asteroid JD1 crosses Earth’s orbit in a fashion similar to Asteroid 1862 Apollo.

NASA said: “Some asteroids and comets follow orbital paths that take them much closer to the Sun and therefore Earth – than usual.

“If a comet or asteroids approach brings it to within 1.3 astronomical units of the Sun, we call it a near-Earth object.”

NASA estimates Asteroid JD1 measures somewhere in the range of 656ft to 1,476ft (200m to 450m) across.