Multiple asteroids larger than pyramids head towards Earth

• Author: AARON REICH
• Published date: 11 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Each of these asteroids has a maximum estimated diameter of around 160 meters or more. This is notable, as an asteroid must have a diameter of at least 140 meters to be considered a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA).

The first asteroid coming towards Earth, dubbed 2021 SM3, ranges in size between 72 meters and 160 meters, and is set to fly past the Earth on October 15. For comparison, the Washington Monument is 169.29 meters tall, and the Great Pyramid of Giza stands at 130 meters.

It is unlikely to actually hit the Earth and is only set to pass at a distance of around 4.8 million kilometers. This is much farther than the Moon's distance from the Earth, but it is still classified by NASA as a near-Earth object (NEO). For comparison, the Moon maintains a distance of 384,400 kilometers away from Earth.

But 2021 SM3 will be followed up just five days later by an even larger asteroid heading for Earth. Dubbed 1996 VB3, this asteroid's size ranges between 100 meters to a whopping 230 meters, taller than the height of San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge, and is set to fly past the Earth on October 20. This asteroid is set to pass even closer to the planet, around 3.2 million kilometers away, though it is still not predicted to impact the planet.

And just five days after that comes another massive asteroid.

This one, known as 2017 SJ20, has a diameter ranging from 90 meters to 200 meters, the maximum being over twice the size of the 92.99 meter-high Statue of Liberty, and will fly by on October 25 at a distance of over 7.1 million kilometers.

But while that's it for October, further large asteroids are set to approach in November.

The first of these comes on November 2. Dubbed 2017 TS3, this asteroid ranges in size from 98 meters to 220 meters, and will pass the Earth at an estimated distance of around 5.3 million kilometers.

An even larger one is set to come on November 13, flying past the Earth at a distance of around 4.2 million kilometers.

This massive asteroid is known as 2004 UE and is estimated to be between 170 meters and 380 meters long. For comparison, that's nearly the size of the Empire State Building in New York City.

Just one week later, on November 20, another asteroid, dubbed 2016 JG12, is set to pass the Earth at a distance of around 5.5 million kilometers. This asteroid is not as huge as the previous one, but is considerably large, with a diameter estimated to be at a maximum of 190 meters, larger than the 184 meter-high Seattle Space...