Buckle up, because a mountain-sized ‘planet killer’ asteroid will fly past Earth on Thursday – quickly followed by another that was only spotted a few weeks ago. THE BIG ONE, THE CATCHILY-NAMED 2011 ASTEROID (415029) 2011 UL21, IS A MONSTROUS 2,310 METRES WIDE, BIGGER THAN 99% OF ALL OTHER KNOWN NEAR-EARTH OBJECTS (NEOS) AND BIGGER THAN ANY MOUNTAIN IN THE UK. ******* BUT ON SATURDAY, ANOTHER ASTEROID WILL WHIZZ BY MUCH CLOSER – LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN EARTH AND THE MOON.
ASTEROID 2024 MK WAS ONLY DISCOVERED ON JUNE 16, AND WILL PASS WITHIN 180,200 MILES OF THE PLANET, AROUND 75% OF THE DISTANCE TO THE MOON.
WHILE CLOSER, THE NEW DISCOVERY IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER, AS ONLY AROUND 120 AND 260 METRES WIDE – BUT COULD STILL DO PLENTY OF DAMAGE WERE IT TO HIT.
