Asteroid 1997 NC1 Zips Past Earth

A massive asteroid, 1997 NC1, is set to zip by Earth this Saturday at a safe 2.6 million kilometers — that’s roughly 1.6 million miles — with no threat to our planet. First spotted nearly 30 years ago, it’s estimated to be between 0.75 and 1.65 kilometers wide — about the size of two to four Empire State Buildings. While not a doomsday event, stargazers with binoculars or small telescopes might catch a glimpse of it as a tiny speck of light. This flyby won’t happen again until 2133 — and the last similarly sized, non-threatening asteroid passed by in 2022. Agencies like NASA and ESA continue monitoring space rocks and debris, including a recent “spinning hockey puck” asteroid that posed zero risk — all part of their mission to keep Earth safe from cosmic surprises. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6c44d448def03d02