Massive asteroid as big as Chrysler building to pass Earth today

A large asteroid will zoom past Earth today, according to data from NASA’s Center for Near Earth Studies (CNEOS).

The space rock, named 2016 CL136, will make its closest approach to our planet at 17:26 on February 1, according to CNEOS.

Based on the observed size, astronomers estimate that the asteroid can measure between 460 feet and 1017 feet in diameter.

At the top of this estimate, the space rock would be about the same size as the Chrysler Building in New York City or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

At the bottom of the estimate, CL136 2016 would be about the same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

During its close approach, the asteroid will come within about 3.3 million miles of Earth. While this may sound far-fetched, it is actually a relatively small distance in astronomical terms.

To put the close approach in context, the asteroid will pass our planet at about 14 times the average distance between the earth and the moon.

During this flight, the 2016 CL136 travels at a staggering speed of about 40,400 miles per hour, which is about 20 times faster than a rifle bullet, 55 times faster than the speed of sound, and about a fifth as fast as a bolt of lightning.

Astronomers know the orbit of this object well, and projections show that it has no chance of hitting the earth in the foreseeable future.

If an object the size of 2016 CL136 were to hit the Earth, it would probably wreak havoc on a large scale.

2016 CL136 is one of many “near-earth objects” or NEOs that are in orbit around the sun. This group of objects contains any asteroid or comet that can pass within 30 million miles of Earth’s own orbit.

Astronomers have so far identified about 25,000 NEOs, the vast majority of which are asteroids.

According to NASA, none of these have a significant risk of hitting the earth in the next century or so.

Coincidentally, 2016 CL136 is not the only major asteroid that will fly past Earth on February 1st.

Earlier today, the space rock 2020 TB12 followed a close approach, and it came about 1.6 million hours ET about 1.6 million miles from our planet.

This asteroid is probably smaller than 2016 CL136, according to CNEOS estimates between 360 feet and 787 feet in diameter.