World

Rare ‘City-Killer’ Asteroid to Pass by Earth

KEEP AN EYE OUT

Its nickname comes from its potential to cause major damage if it were to crash into a populated area.

An image of Earth taken by the Terra satellite in 2002.
Nasa Goddard Space Flight Center/Handout via Reuters

An asteroid between 131 and 328 feet in size—also known as a “city killer”—will pass between the Earth and Moon on Saturday evening, skimming past our skies at just over 105,000 miles away. While the asteroid will pass “harmlessly” by Earth, according to CNN, its name comes from its ability to cause major damage if it were to crash into a populated area. Yet, asteroid 2023 DZ2—its much less dramatic, official title—is still quite significant, as experts told CNN that flybys of this size so close to Earth only happen about once a decade.

Read it at CNN

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