A skyscraper-size asteroid cruising the cosmos at 35,000 mph (56,000 km/h) will make a relatively close approach to Earth Thursday (April 6), zooming past our planet at about 7.5 times the average distance between Earth and the moon, according to NASA. Fortunately, the meaty space rock will miss our planet by more than a million miles.
Astronomers estimate that the asteroid, named 2023 FM, measures somewhere between 393 and 853 feet (120 to 260 meters) in diameter, or roughly the height of a 40- to 80-story skyscraper, according to a NASA description. During its closest approach on Thursday afternoon, the asteroid will fly within roughly 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers) of our planet, far beyond the orbit of the full moon.
