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Asteroid twice the size of Empire State Building projected to pass Earth next week

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Posted at 2:15 PM, Jan 12, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-12 14:17:51-05

NASA says an asteroid twice as big as the Empire State Building is projected to pass by Earth sometime next week.

According to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, the asteroid, named 7482 (1994 PC1), will pass Earth within 1.2 million miles on Jan. 18.

NASA said the asteroid was first discovered on Aug. 9, 1994.

The asteroid is estimated to be one kilometer (3,451 feet) wide, twice the size of the Empire State Building, which is 1,454 feet wide.

According to NASA, this is the closest the asteroid has come to Earth since January 17, 1933, when it came within less than 700,000 miles of Earth.

NASA does not expect the asteroid to hit the planet, CNN reported.