(Express) AN ASTEROID bigger than a double-decker bus is set to come closer to Earth than the Moon is next week as NASA gears up to study the historic space rock.
The asteroid known as 2011 ES4 will shoot by Earth next week, and at 30 metres long, it is bigger than a double-decker bus. The space rock will come within just 0.3 lunar distance - with one lunar distance being the measurement between the Earth and the Moon - or 71,000 miles.
While that may seem like a sizeable distance, in astronomical terms it is a hair's width.
NASA also revealed it will be travelling at a staggering speed of 8.2 kilometres per second - or 29,500 kilometres per hour.
At this speed, it could travel around the Earth in an hour.
According to NASA, asteroid 2011 ES4 is a NEO (Near Earth Object), giving NASA the perfect opportunity to study the history of the solar system.
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