Large Asteroid's Path Veers Toward Earth, NASA Says

NEW YORK, NY — For those perpetually fearful that the fate of the dinosaurs will one day befall humanity, this one may be too close for comfort: On Sept. 1, a large asteroid named Florence around 2.7 miles in length will come within 4.4. million miles of Earth's orbit.

If you have a more laid-back disposition, that may not seem all that close. The asteroid's closest distance to our planet will still be many times farther than the moon's orbit, which is about a quarter million miles away.

Nevertheless, in astronomical terms, it's basically a stone's throw away — especially given the size of the asteroid. (For more national stories, subscribe to the Across America Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

“While many known asteroids have passed by closer to Earth than Florence will on September 1, all of those were estimated to be smaller,” Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said in a press statement.

He continued: "Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the NASA program to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began."

In April, another asteroid came much closer to Earth — within about 1.1 million miles — but it was less than half a mile in length.

The asteroid was named Florence in honor of Florence Nightingale when it was discovered in March 1981 by Schelte Bus at Siding Spring Observatory.

Even objects much smaller than Florence can make a huge impact if they hit a populated area. In 2013, a 59-foot meteor exploded above Chelyabinsk, Russia, panicking the local residents, damaging thousands of buildings and injuring as many as 1,500 people.

The impact of an asteroid the size of Florence on land could create a crater many miles deep and many tens of miles in diameters. It could destroy millions of human lives in an instant, and the global effects of the impact would be devastating for much of the life on Earth.

Florence itself, however, does not appear to pose any near-term risks. The last time it was as close as it will be in September was 1890, and it won't come as near again until after 2500, according to NASA.

Photo credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory