Asteroid to make Earth fly-by; 2011 MD to come within 7,600 miles of planet
The Earth is expected to come face-to-face with an asteroid today, but experts say it's nothing to be alarmed about.
The space rock, dubbed 2011 MD, will pass just 7,600 miles above the planet about 1 p.m., according to experts at NASA's Near-Earth Object Program.
They say it poses no threat.
\"An orbital analysis indicates there is no chance it will actually strike [the] Earth,\" NASA said on its website.
The small asteroid measures only 33 feet long, scientists said, and will pass over the southe part of the Atlantic Ocean.
Similarly sized asteroids sail past Earth every six years with little notice. A smaller asteroid made a fly-by to Earth earlier this year, coming within 3,400 miles.
2011 MD will briefly be bright enough to be seen by medium-size telescopes. However, it will not be easy to see because it is expected to be moving thousands of miles per hour.
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