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The bright spot located near the center of the image is the asteroid 2018 RC.
Gianluca Masi
It could be as big as a 17-storey apartment complex, and it will pass through the earth at about half the distance between us and the moon this weekend.
There is no need to worry, however. While the asteroid near the newly discovered 2018 Earth will pass relatively close to our planet, it will still clear the neighborhood without risk of collision.
The Asteroid Earth Impact Warning System (ATLAS) of the University of Hawaii was the first to spot the asteroid on Monday, and its diameter could reach 233 feet (71 meters). It's the same height as the 17-story Kajima building (also known as the California Bank and Trust Building) in Los Angeles.
On average, a few asteroids fly over each day at less than a lunar distance (238,000 miles or 384,000 kilometers). Often, they are not seen until they are already in our rearview mirror directed to distant space. A small asteroid was taken just before it had an impact on the atmosphere in early June.
The fact that 2018 RC is so vast has facilitated the discovery of a full week before its closest approach.
The 2018 asteroid RC will reach its nearest point of about 220,000 kilometers (136,702 miles) early in the morning on Saturday at 05:06 Pacific Time, to be exact.
After its initial discovery, the virtual telescope project in Italy captured the above image of the space rock. The online observatory will also be in touch with us on Saturday via the stream below.
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