An asteroid the size of a small truck will pass by Earth tonight (Thursday January 26), making one of the closest approaches to the planet ever recorded.
Asteroid 2023 BU will zoom over the southern tip of South America at about 12.27am on Friday, only 2,200 miles above the Earth’s surface. It will be well within the orbit of the planet’s satellites, Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said.
Experts say there is no risk of the asteroid – estimated to be 11.5ft to 28ft across – smashing into Earth. Even if it did, it would turn into a fireball and largely disintegrate harmlessly in the atmosphere, with some of the bigger debris potentially falling as small meteorites.
