Bus-size asteroid to pass within 70,000 miles of Earth Friday, closer than moon

A small asteroid about the size of a bus will pass within 70,000 miles of the Earth's surface Friday, according to scientists with NASA's Asteroid Watch Program at the Jet Propulsion Lab. That's closer than the moon, which is an average 239,000 miles from the planet.

Near-Earth asteroid 2018 DV1 is about 23 feet wide and is the second asteroid this week to make a close swing by Earth. Asteroid 2018 DU safely whizzed by the planet Sunday at a distance of about 196,000 miles.

Another asteroid is also nearing Earth. Scientists are tracking 2017 VR12 as it closes in next Wednesday, according to the Virtual Telescope Project, but it won’t come nearly as close as the two this week, passing 870,000 miles away.

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Stargazers can watch Friday's flyby live, through the Virtual Telescope Project and Tenagra Observatories' free webcast.

Cox Media Group