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IPFS News Link • Space Travel and Exploration

Asteroid the size of Eiffel Tower heading for Earth in December

• https://www.jpost.com By AARON REICH

A large asteroid approximately 330 meters long is heading for Earth in early December, according to NASA's asteroid tracker.

Dubbed 4660 Nereus, or 1982 DB, this vaguely egg-shaped asteroid has a size making it taller than the Eiffel Tower and nearly twice as tall as the Washington Monument. It is set to pass by the planet on December 11 at a distance of approximately 3.9 million kilometers and at a speed of 6.578 km/s. 

For comparison, the distance between the Earth and the Moon is about a thousandth of that – around 385,000 km. As such, despite being classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) due to its size and close proximity to Earth, it seems unlikely to pose a threat to the planet.


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