Asteroid the 'Size of a Box Truck' Expected to Fly 2,200 Miles Over Earth: 'Extraordinarily Close'
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An asteroid "about the size of a box truck" is expected to come closer to Earth than most space objects in recorded history, according to experts.
Asteroid 2023 BU "will have a very close encounter" with the planet on Thursday, according to a news release from NASA.
Experts predict the asteroid will fly over the southern tip of South America at about 7:27 p.m. EST, and will only be about 2,200 miles above Earth's surface.
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The asteroid will likely be "well within the orbit" of some satellites, NASA said in Wednesday.
However, the space agency claimed "there is no risk of the asteroid impacting Earth."
Even if it did enter the atmosphere, NASA said, the object would "turn into a fireball and largely disintegrate harmlessly."
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Amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov discovered the asteroid Saturday from his MARGO observatory in Nauchnyi, Crimea, according to NASA. It is is believed to be about 11.5 to 28 feet feet across.
NASA's Scout impact hazard assessment system "quickly predicted the near miss," per the Wednesday's release.
Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at JPL who developed Scout, said the system also predicted the asteroid would get "extraordinarily close" to Earth.
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"In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded," he said in NASA's news release.
Experts believe the asteroid's path around the Sun will be "significantly altered" after coming in close proximity to Earth. Its orbit "will be more elongated" as a result, extending from 359 days to 425.
