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Asteroid the size of Great Pyramid of Giza flew by Earth Sunday

The asteroid was estimated to be between 318 and 720 feet wide.
Credit: NASA JPL

WASHINGTON — Scientists at NASA are always keeping a close eye on large asteroids nearby Earth and one as tall as the Great Pyramid of Giza passed by safely on Sunday. 

As Space.com reported, NASA monitors had expected the object to pass by Earth with no worry that the object would pose a threat to our planet. As with all objects passing Earth, one of the biggest concerns is safety. 

The near-Earth asteroid, called 2008 GO20, came within 2.8 million miles of our planet, Space.com noted. It's estimated to be between 318 and 720 feet wide.

According to NASA, objects passing Earth within 4.6 million miles are considered to be "potentially hazardous."

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory even has a "Asteroid Watch Dashboard" which tracks asteroids and comets expected to make somewhat close approaches to our planet. 

But it's important to put things in perspective because the average distance between Earth and the moon is about 239,000 miles, so these asteroids are still well clear of Earth. 

According to NASA, on July 26 asteroid 2021 OF, which is about the size of a commercial jet, is expected to approach Earth at a distance of about 2,750,000 miles. Then on July 27, NASA says another asteroid called 2020 BW12, which is about 67 feet wide at one point, will pass Earth at a further distance of about 3,980,000 miles.

And then on July 31, according to NASA, an asteroid the size of a building will pass Earth at a distance of about 4,270,000 miles. Scientists have dubbed it "2019 YM6."

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