4660 Nereus - The Asteroid That WON'T Hit the Earth this Weekend - The Cosmic Companion 10 December 2021
Earth will have a "close approach" with an asteroid nearly as tall as the Empire State Building this weekend. Here's what's happening!
The asteroid 4660 Nereus is headed our way, passing Earth on Saturday. Here’s a look at this body, and what we can learn from asteroids!
On Saturday, 11 December, an asteroid named 4660 Nereus will pass the orbit of Earth, making a close approach with our home planet. During this approach, 4660 Nereus will come as close as 3.86 million kilometers (2.4 million miles) from Earth, or roughly 10 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. This may seem like quite a long distance, but this is still fairly close when talking about astronomy!
Here's a look at this potentially hazardous object!
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Clear skies and enjoy the show!
James