2 Giant Asteroids Making Close Approach To Earth Tuesday

Two asteroids are making their way toward Earth Tuesday, and their sizes are considered gigantic.

The asteroids flying toward Earth are being monitored through NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The first near-Earth asteroid (NEA) that will zip past the planet has been identified as 2020 UN3.

Asteroid 2020 UN3 will make its way past Earth Tuesday at 12:51 a.m. EST, traveling at an average speed of over 16,000 miles per hour. According to the data from CNEOS, the closest distance 2020 UN3 can get to Earth is around 2.7 million miles away.

The diameters of the two NEAs differ significantly, but both are considered gigantic due to their extensive sizes. Boasting an estimated diameter of 262 feet (80 meters), 2020 UN3 is nearly as tall as the Big Ben clock tower in London, which currently stands at 310 feet.

Asteroid 2020 UL3, meanwhile, will follow 2020 UN3 just a few hours later and will make its close approach to Earth at 8:48 a.m. EST.

It is traveling across space at an average velocity of 25,000 miles per hour and will zip past Earth at a distance of about 3.6 million miles away from the planet's surface.

The second NEA has a larger diameter than 2020 UN3, measuring 426 feet (130 meters) across. This makes asteroid 2020 UL3 nearly as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which currently stands at a height of 455 feet.

To get an even better visual of 2020 UL3's size, imagine being in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The giant NEA would be about two and a half times as tall as this structure, according to Bluebulbprojects.

The two NEAs are both considered Apollo asteroids due to their Earth-crossing orbits.

Of the two giant asteroids flying by the planet Tuesday, only 2020 UL3 has a non-zero chance of hitting Earth and has been included in the European Space Agency's Risk List.