Three large asteroids will pass by close to Earth on Saturday

Three giant asteroids will pass by the Earth on Saturday, according to astronomers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The asteroids will zip past the planet within hours of each other, with the nearest extraterrestrial visitor approaching at a distance that is closer than the moon.

At around 9:03 a.m. EST on Saturday, the first asteroid known as 2018 VS1 will fly by at a distance of 861,700 miles from the Earth. VS1 measures between 42 and 92 feet, and will be traveling at a speed of around 23,700 miles per hour, which is faster than most rockets.

The largest of the space bodies, known as 2018 VR1, will appear around 15 minutes later. VR1 is estimated to be up to 98 feet in width, which is comparable to the length of a blue whale. This asteroid will emerge at a much greater distance from the Earth, around 3,128,892 miles away.

The final asteroid, 2018 VX1, will make the closest approach to the planet at 1:26 p.m. The object is predicted to pass by about 1,800 miles closer than the moon at a distance of 237,037 miles. VX1 is the smallest of the space rocks, measuring between 26 and 59 feet. It is also traveling at the slowest pace of around 13,556 miles per hour.

The asteroids will be too small and too far away to be observed using normal equipment and will only be visible by satellite. Nasa has reported that a total of 10 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) will make a “close approach” to our planet during the month of November.

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer