The total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of Earth's Moon. This entry was posted in 99942 Apophis, Asteroid Orbit Near Earth, News, Organizations – International, Solar System, Space Scientific Studies and tagged Apophis, Asteriod Studies, Asteroid 99942 Apophis, Asteroid flyby, Asteroid Orbiting Earth, Near-Earth Asteroid, NEO, NEOs, Planetary Defense Conference. 19 interstellar asteroids lurking near Jupiter: Are they posing a threat to earth's existence? Today, according to Thesun, UK, NASA revealed that a 1.5-km long asteroid named '1997 BQ' is close to the Earth at dawn on the 22nd of Korea time, at about 6,600 km / h. NASA's Near-Earth Object (NEO) web-site.

That might sound scary, but scientists are positive that it will not hit Earth. Most of this ancient space rubble can be found orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter within the main asteroid belt.

Data related to Earth impact risk, close-approaches, and much more. Jupiter has hundreds of thousands. The object was not an asteroid captured by Earth in a cosmic game of coincidence. Earth has at least one Trojan asteroid, and Neptune has dozens. Instead, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance for scientists to truly understand asteroids near Earth. A huge asteroid orbiting the sun will soon pass near the Earth, the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration says. As of June 19, 2013, 10,003 near-Earth asteroids are known and the number over 1 kilometer in diameter is thought to be 861, with 1,409 classified as potentially hazardous asteroids - those that could pose a threat to Earth.

Asteroids range in size from Vesta — the largest at about 329 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter — to bodies that are less than 33 feet (10 meters) across. An asteroid is caught in a synchronized orbit with the Earth, dancing back and forth relative to our planet as both circle the sun, a team of Canadian scientists has discovered. Asteroids that actually cross Earth's orbital path are known as Earth-crossers. Go farther.