A large asteroid that is named after actor and pro-wrestler Dwayne Johnson's on-screen wrestler name, "The Rock," will be making its closest pass on the Earth in 400 years on April 19. The asteroid will again be making a close pass to the Earth, at least, in the next 500 years.
According to a report from NDTV, "The Rock" is as big as the Rock of Gibraltar, with roughly 650 meters, or 2,000 feet across. The asteroid is said to be passing the Earth at a safe but uncomfortable distance on April 19.
The report said that NASA believes the asteroid is not in danger of colliding with the planet, but it is "a very close approach for an asteroid of this size," which is why it's an uncomfortable situation. "The Rock" is said to come within 1.8 million kilometres, or 1.1 million miles, of Earth. This distance is less than five times that of the Moon.
The asteroid will be passing the Earth after looping around the Sun, then it will continue towards Jupiter before heading towards the centre of the Solar System. The last time an asteroid of this size passed by close to the Earth was in 2004 when a five kilometre, or about 3.1 miles, across asteroid named Toutatis passed within four times the distance of the Moon.
Mirror reports that "The Rock" will again be closest to the Earth in at least after 500 years. The asteroid, which is officially called 2014 JO25, was first discovered three years ago. It was first observed by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, USA.
The next time a large asteroid will pass by close to the Earth will be in 2027, when the half-mile wide asteroid 1999 AN10 fly by at one lunar distance, or approximately 236,000 miles. Check out the video below for more details about the "The Rock."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
