NASA’s asteroid tracking system has detected a total of three massive space rocks that are expected to fly past Earth next week. The biggest asteroid in the group is large enough to take out an entire city if it collides with the planet.

The first asteroid that will visit Earth’s neighborhood has been identified by NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) as 2019 UR2. As indicated in CNEOS’ database, this asteroid is currently flying towards Earth at an average speed of 30,000 miles per hour.

CNEOS estimated that 2019 UR2 has a diameter of 721 feet, making it almost as tall as the tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in California. 2019 UR2 is expected to fly past Earth on Nov. 18 at 1:58 am EST. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.04613 astronomical units or roughly 4.3 million miles from the planet’s center.

The second asteroid that CNEOS is currently tracking is called 2019 UK6. According to the agency, this asteroid is currently flying at an average speed of around 17,000 miles per hour. It has an estimated diameter of 361 feet, making it significantly bigger than the Statue of Liberty.

CNEOS noted that 2019 UK6 will debut in Earth’s vicinity on Nov. 20 at 1:20 am EST. During its approach, the asteroid will be about 0.03952 astronomical units or roughly 3.7 million miles away from Earth.

The last asteroid that will approach Earth next week has been identified as 481394 (2006 SF6). As the largest asteroid in the group, 481394 (2006 SF6) has an estimated diameter of 2,034 feet. It is currently moving across space with a speed of almost 18,000 miles per hour.

Given its massive size and speed, this asteroid is capable of causing a major impact event if it hits the planet. The energy that would be released from its impact would be powerful enough to completely destroy an entire city and its surrounding areas.

According to CNEOS, 481394 (2006 SF6) is expected to fly past Earth on Nov. 20 at 7:01 pm EST. During this time, the asteroid will be about 0.02886 astronomical units or roughly 2.7 million miles away.

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Pictured; an artistic illustration of an asteroid flying by Earth. NASA
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