Potentially dangerous asteroid close by

A newly discovered and "potentially dangerous" asteroid will pass very close, yet safely, by Earth today.

Nasa says the asteroid 2022 RM4 is almost the size of Earth's tallest building in Dubai - its dimensions are about 330m by 740m. It will pass at a speed of about 84 500 km/h or at 68 times the speed of sound.

The asteroid was only discovered last month and today reaches its closest point to the earth of about 2.3 million km. This is six times the distance between the moon and the earth. In cosmic terms, this is considered dangerously close.

NASA labels any large body within 7.5 million km of our planet as "potentially hazardous". The 2022 RM4 asteroid is also classified as a "near-earth object" or a 'Neo' (near-earth object) because it comes within 193 million km of the earth.

"Neos are comets and asteroids that pass by Earth in orbits due to the gravity of nearby planets," Nasa explained.

CAPTION:

An artist's rendering of an asteroid passing close to Earth. PHOTO PIXABAY