Giant 'potentially hazardous' asteroid will fly safely by Earth in April

A large and "potentially hazardous" asteroid is poised to fly by Earth next month, but don't worry — it poses no threat to Earth.

Asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2 will make a close approach to Earth on April 29. The hefty space rock has an estimated diameter of 1.1 to 2.5 miles (1.8 to 4.1 kilometers), or about the width of the isle of Manhattan.

While an asteroid that size could wreak havoc if it crashed into Earth — prompting some alarmist and misinformed media reports — this asteroid poses no threat.

At its closest approach, which will happen at about 5:56 a.m. EDT (0956 GMT), asteroid 1998 OR2 will be 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km) from Earth. That's more than 16 times the average distance between Earth and the moon.

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(Image credit: Gianluca Masi/The Virtual Telescope Project)

This animation by Gianluca Masi at the Virtual Telescope Project shows the movement of the potentially hazardous asteroid 1998 OR2 in the night sky on March 16, 2020, between 4:31 p.m. EDT and 5 p.m. EDT (2031-2100 GMT).

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On April 29, 2020, asteroid (52768) 1998 OR2's closest approach to Earth will be about 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km) away.