Double Trouble: Two Huge Asteroids Approaching Earth at High Speed

The asteroids are expected to pass by Earth at a distance of several million kilometers.

New encounters with fast-moving massive space rocks await our planet on Friday and Saturday, although none of them are expected to end the way such things often do in disaster films.

The first asteroid, 2016 CZ 31, is expected to pass by our planet around 23:00 GMT on Friday at a speed of about 55,620 kilometers per hour.

The space rock, which is estimated to be about 122 meters in diameter, is going to approach at a distance of slightly less than 2,800,000 kilometers before vanishing into the depths of space, to return in about six years as it usually does, according to NASA.

The second asteroid, 2013 CU83, is going to approach Earth at about 23:37 GMT on Saturday, with this 183-meter wide rock being expected to approach Earth at a distance of about 6,960,000 kilometers at a speed of around 21,168 kilometers per hour.

While large asteroids whizzing by Earth is hardly an uncommon occurrence, the possibility of one of them colliding with our planet is not disregarded by space agencies, however slim the odds of such a thing happening may be.

Later this year, for example, NASA is expected to test its ability to divert potentially dangerous space rocks via the so called Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART for short.