PREVIEW

This image and short video show the passage of an asteroid comparable in size to a skyscraper, as it hurtles past at a distance of just 1.7 million miles (2.7 million kilometers) from Earth on Friday (2February2024).
Reassuringly, although this is a close pass, there is no cause for alarm, as the enormous space rock, named 2008 OS7, will miss our planet by a staggering seven times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
According to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, this celestial giant spans an estimated range of 690 to 1,575 feet (210 to 480 meters), making it comparable in size to iconic structures such as New York City's Empire State Building or Chicago's Willis Tower.
2008 OS7 will not grace Earth's vicinity again until 2032, when it is projected to maintain a much more distant orbit, staying at a distance of 45 million miles.