The 2002 asteroid NN4 will pass through Earth at 11:20 p.m. Saturday. AND, says NASA. Based on an estimated diameter of 1,870 feet, according to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies, this will certainly seem like a big one.
But, it will be about two and a half miles from our planet, 13 times further than the moon, says NASA, so there is really no reason to worry.
And these types of events are pretty normal. Last August, an asteroid estimated to be roughly the same size as the 2002 NN4 passed through Earth, and experts at the time called it a medium size.
And, this asteroid is less than a mile long. The largest known asteroid that orbits the sun is 21 kilometers long, Lindley Johnson of NASA's planetary defense coordination office told CNN last year.
Still, the likelihood of an asteroid actually hitting Earth is fairly slim - occurring once every two or three centuries, Johnson said at the time.
In 2013, a meteor only 55 feet in diameter crossed the Earth's atmosphere over Russia. The meteor did not really have an impact on the planet, but the explosion still injured more than 1.00 people.
Being millions of miles away, that shouldn't be the case with 2002 NN4. You can therefore spend the Saturday evening relaxing, knowing that an asteroid does not actually detonate us. At least today.
The next time the 2002 NN4 is as close to us is in June 2029.
