EARTH can once again start making plans for December 2032.
Nasa has announced “city-killer” asteroid YR4 is unlikely to collide with our planet that month, and has a 99.9961 per cent chance of sailing past.
Nasa tracks the next five asteroids to make a pass of Earth[/caption]
The US space agency had feared the chances of deadly asteroid YR4 hitting Earth could rise past 20 per cent.
But the giant space rock, estimated to be between 40ft (12m) and 90ft (27m) wide, is now expected to collide with the Moon instead.
Nasa will continue to track asteroids that could fall into Earth’s path – five of which will make close calls today and tomorrow.
2025 DN6
The 11ft 2025 DN6 asteroid, that Nasa describes as “car-sized”, is expected to brush past Earth at a distance of 185,000miles (298,000km).
That’s closer than the Moon is to Earth, but far enough to miss Earth and its satellites.
It will slip into Earth’s orbit before flying out past Mars’ orbital ring.
While it will zoom past our planet at a safe distance, it will be the closest space rock to fly by this week.
It will be 2025 DN6’s closest pass of Earth to date, and won’t visit again until May 2064.
When it does come back, the asteroid will pass at a much further distance of over 5,380,000miles.
2025 DT1
Nasa is also eyeing asteroid 2025 DT1, which is slightly larger than a giraffe at 20ft.
The newly spotted space rock will pass at a safe distance of about 531,000miles (855,000km).
As asteroids go, this hunk of celestial debris is relatively small.
If it survives its journey around our Solar System, it should make another pass of Earth in May 2052.
2009 DE1
Zooming past our planet roughly 1,560,000miles away will be the hefty 2009 DE1, which has been on Nasa’s watch list for over a decade.
The 150ft asteroid is only slightly smaller than Arc de Triomphe, the famous Parisian landmark that stands at about 160ft.
The last time it saw Earth was in February 2009, and before that, in February 1993.
It has an orbit of about 16 years, which schedules its next visit after this week for August 2043.
2025 DY
At a length slightly larger than a cricket pitch, asteroid 2025 DY is approximately 69ft in size.
Nasa categorises it as airplane sized – though it would be a small aircraft, and far smaller than your average commercial carrier.
This space rock’s orbit will take it within 2,260,000miles – far beyond the Moon and at a safe distance to Earth.
2025 DK3
In Nasa’s “house-size” category is asteroid 2025 DK3, which will pass at a safe distance of 664,000miles from Earth.
Nevertheless, Nasa tracks these space rocks just in case they collide with another piece of debris that puts them on a collision course with our planet.
