asteroid

this particular asteroid is about two times the size of the Empire Sate Building and, in case you 've never been to New York City, that's pretty freakin' huge.

If you're looking for a little more reassurance that you won't die today for a mondo space chunk hum-chucking into our world than what an overweight morning radio host can provide, take it directly from the source itself.

First an asteroid passed by Earth during Halloween and now on Christmas Eve another asteroid will pass by Earth.

It sounds like something from science fiction, but it could happen by 2021, as NASA is planning on sending a robotic spaceship to lasso a small asteroid and park it by the moon. Senator Bill Nelson says the president has given the go ahead to bring a space rock closer to Earth so it can be studied.

Seventeen-thousand miles might not sound particularly close at first listen, but when it comes to a gigantic rock the size of half a football field, it's a bit scarier.

This Friday, an asteroid known as DA 14, will pass very close to Earth, it’s expected to be within the orbit of the moon or 17,200 miles from earth. The moon is roughly 238,000 miles from Earth making DA 14’s is the closest passing of an asteroid ever recorded.

It’s long been thought that asteroids are rich in minerals and could be a source for water, in the form of ice, and could be rich in metals. A company in California, Deep Space Industries, has plans to inspect small asteroids as they pass earth for potential mining projects.