NASA warned that a massive asteroid bigger than a football stadium or twice the size of Big Ben is set to pass by Earth on Nov. 29.
NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 19: Las Vegas Astronomical Society vice president of special events Keith Caceres uses computer software connected to his telescope to locate asteroid 2014 JO25 outside the Planetarium at the College of Southern Nevada on April 19, 2017 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The near mile-long asteroid is traveling at 75,000 mph as it passes the Earth's orbit at almost 1.1 million miles from Earth, less than five times the distance from the Earth to the moon.
NASA's asteroid tracker predicts that a massive space rock is due to pass by the orbital path of our home planet on Monday.
The United States space agency further announced that the asteroid could be seen in the sky of California, as per the report by CBS's local outlet in Sacramento.
NASA Warns Asteroid Bigger than Football Field
The passing by asteroid is slightly bigger than an American food field, or 430-foot to be exact.
The massive space rock was first discovered way back on Nov. 28, 1994, by a NASA astronomer named Carolyn S. Shoemaker via the Palomar Observatory.
The giant space rock, which is twice as big as Big Ben in London, was then given the moniker 1994 WR12.
It is to note that the 1994 WR12 has been listed as an "Earth Impact Risk" by the JPL Center for NEO Studies or the CNEOS.
However, it was removed from the threat list back in 2016 after astronomers learned that it is not that dangerous as initially expected.
Back then, NASA astronomers estimated that the WR12 could produce an explosion that is more powerful than the biggest nuclear weapon that got tested here on Earth if ever it hits Earth directly.
But it turns out that astronomers suggest that the space rock bigger than a football field is far from hitting the surface of the Earth. Thus, downgrading its threat level.
Instead, NASA's tracker estimates that the asteroid will only pass by the orbit of the Earth, which will be 3.8 million miles away from our home planet, according to LadBible.
That said, humankind is still safe from extinction from an asteroid, at least for now. As such, the upcoming passerby is not a threat at all.
Asteroid Seen on California Sky
On top of that, NASA also predicted that the asteroid could be seen from the sky of California.
However, the head of Space Technology and Industry Institute, Alan Duffy, warned residents of California to avoid looking at it when it shows up.
But still, Duffy further admitted that it is hard not to see the passing by an asteroid due to its brightness.
Nevertheless, he warned that looking at it directly causes retina damage to your eyes. Thus, Duffy suggested bystanders make sure that they are "not looking right at it."
Asteroid Pass by Earth
It is not the first time that an asteroid has passed by the proximity of the Earth without wreaking havoc to humankind.
In fact, NASA has been tracking multiple asteroids that are due to pass in the next couple of weeks. One of which is as big as the Eiffel Tower.
Related Article: NASA and SpaceX Fire Earth Defending Rocket to Shield from Giant Asteroids in the Future
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Written by Teejay Boris
