NASA Asteroid Tracker: 3,240-Foot City-Killer NEO Is Headed For Earth This October

NASA has spotted one of the biggest potentially hazardous asteroids that will approach Earth this year. According to the agency, the approaching asteroid is over three times bigger than the Eiffel Tower in France.

The asteroid that is currently headed for Earth has been identified as 162082 (1998 HL1). According to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), the approaching asteroid has an estimated diameter of about 3,248 feet. Given its size, the asteroid is certainly capable of wiping out an entire city if it collides with Earth.

CNEOS noted that the asteroid is currently traveling at a speed of 25,000 miles per hour. 162082 (1998 HL1) is expected to approach Earth on Oct. 25 at 1:21 pm EDT. During its flyby, the asteroid will be about 0.04155 astronomical units or roughly 3.9 million miles from the planet’s center.

The approaching space rock has been classified by CNEOS as an Apollo asteroid. Asteroids belonging to this family have a very wide orbit around the Sun and the Earth. From time to time, Apollo asteroids intersect with the planet’s orbit as it goes around the Sun.

Due to 162082 (1998 HL1)’s close-intersection with Earth’s orbit, it has been labeled by CNEOS as a potentially hazardous asteroid.

“Potentially hazardous asteroids are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid’s potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth,” CNEOS explained in a statement.

“Specifically, all asteroids with a minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.05 [astronomical units] or less and an absolute magnitude of 22.0 or less are considered [potentially hazardous asteroids],” the agency continued.

162082 (1998 HL1) was first observed on April 18, 1998. The last time the asteroid visited Earth’s neighborhood was on June 13. During this time, the asteroid approached the planet from a distance of about 0.37388 astronomical units or around 35 million miles away.

After this year’s approach, 162082 (1998 HL1) will fly past the planet again on Oct. 15, 2026. It is expected to zip past Earth from a distance of 0.28041 astronomical units or roughly 26 million miles away during its future approach.