Discovered nearly three years ago, a large space rock known as 2014 JO25 is expected fly by Earth at a safe distance of about 1.1 million miles (1.8 million kilometres), or about 4.6 times the distance from Earth to the moon, as reported by US space agency NASA. This large asteroid with an estimated size of 2000 feet will fly past Earth on April 19.
"Although there is no possibility for the asteroid to collide with our planet, this will be a very close approach for an asteroid of this size", NASA was quoted as saying.
In addition, the confrontation on April 19 is also "the closest this asteroid has come to Earth for at least the last 400 years and will be its closest approach for at least the next 500 years", NASA added.
The next known encounter of an asteroid of comparable size will occur in 2027 when the half-mile-wide (800-meter-wide) asteroid 1999 AN10 will fly by at one lunar distance.
The asteroid will approach Earth from the direction of the sun and will become visible in the night sky after April 19.
It is predicted to brighten to about magnitude 11, when it could be visible in small optical telescopes for one or two nights before it fades as the distance from Earth rapidly increases, NASA added.
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This approach can be seen as the closest by only known space rock of this size, since Toutatis, a 3.1-mile (five-kilometre) asteroid, which approached within about four lunar distances in September 2004, as reported by NASA.
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