Massive Asteroid , Set to Make Close , Pass by Earth.<br />'Newsweek' reports that a massive <br />asteroid measuring up to 460 feet in diameter <br />is set to pass close to Earth on December 15. .<br />According to close approach data by NASA's <br />Near Earth Observatory, the asteroid will pass <br />by our planet at a distance of just 426,000 miles.<br />The asteroid, named 2015 RN35, <br />will be traveling at speeds of 3.67 miles <br />per second, or about 13,220 miles per hour.<br />'Newsweek' points out that our own moon orbits at <br />a distance of 238,900 miles away, which makes 2015 <br />RN35's approach a very close one in astronomical terms.<br />According to estimates, 2015 RN35 <br />is roughly the size of a baseball field, <br />between 206 and 460 feet across.<br />Asteroids are 'bits of a planet that didn't <br />happen,' that orbit the sun between Mars <br />and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt. <br />However, as they are relatively small,<br />asteroids can be disturbed quite <br />easily, so they can develop orbits <br />that cross those of planets, Jay Tate, the director of the U.K.'s Spaceguard <br />Center observatory, via 'Newsweek'.<br />According to NASA data, <br />2015 RN35 orbits the sun <br />once every 1.8 years. .<br />NASA estimates that our solar system contains about 1.1 million asteroids, many of which occupy the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. .<br />Asteroids that veer toward the Earth's orbit<br />are classified as near-Earth objects (NEOs). <br />Astronomers are aware of 30,000 NEOs.<br />'Newsweek' reports that despite the proximity <br />of 2015 RN35 to Earth, the chances of <br />the asteroid hitting our planet are very slim.
