An asteroid, more than a mile wide, flew past Earth in a “close approach” Wednesday morning.
The asteroid came within 3.9 million miles of the planet at 5:56 a.m. EDT, according to The Independent.
NASA noted: “While this is known as a ‘close approach' by astronomers, it’s still very far away.” CNN reported the 1.2 mile wide object was moving at 19,461 miles per hour.
The object, known as Asteroid 1998 OR2, will get a little closer to Earth when it comes around again in 2079.
“We can say with confidence that this asteroid poses no possibility of impact for at least the next 200 years,” NASA said.
And Dr. Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University, added: "This asteroid poses no danger to the Earth and will not hit — it is one catastrophe we won't have.
"While it is big, it is still smaller than the asteroid that impacted the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.