As if Deadly Coronavirus Wasn't Enough: Potentially Dangerous Asteroid to Fly Past Earth Next Month

As space is chock-full of celestial objects and asteroids are some of the most common extraterrestrial objects, it's not so unusual that many of them fly past Earth. The size of some asteroids and the proximity of their trajectory to the Earth, however, make them a potential danger to our planet.

An asteroid under the designated number 163373 and with an estimated diameter between 440 and 990 metres will fly past the Earth in February, NASA said.

The asteroid will reach its nearest point on 15 February, while at the same time it will be 15 times farther from our planet than the Moon.

Asteroid 163373 was discovered on 23 October 1995 and was put in the Apollo group of asteroids that fly through the Earth's orbit, that's why they're considered potentially dangerous.

The asteroid will pass near Earth again in 2075.