SoylentNews

Anti-aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:

Yes, again. from Lifehacker [lifehacker.com]:

Today, even as you struggle to focus on work after the extended weekend you hopefully enjoyed, a giant space rock is screaming through space within a “potentially hazardous” distance of Earth. The chances of a resultant armageddon are (and always have been) exceedingly thin, as the asteroid 2021 KTI is passing within 4.5 million miles of Earth, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. But on a galactic scale, such a distance is still pretty close, given the great sprawling unknown of the universe.

Still, it’s a cold comfort knowing everything is technically fine, even as our space agency tracks a huge piece of rock that’s hurtling within a “potentially hazardous” proximity of our fragile planet at a speed of 40,000 miles an hour.

The eternal debate: velocity, or caliber?

For comparison’s sake, the asteroid designated 2021 KTI is about the size of the Eiffel Tower or Seattle’s Space Needle. That is still pretty large, especially if you imagine the Eiffel Tower careening towards Earth at 40,000 MPH. KTI will be followed by a few other asteroids, none of which are quite as big, but all of which are expected to pass us harmlessly by on or before Wednesday, without entering our planet’s atmosphere.

See you on Thursday! Right?

Original Submission