Titanic asteroid the size of 84 orcas to pass Earth on Monday - NASA
I knew orca whales were good for something.Story by By AARON REICH • Yesterday 3:26 PM
An asteroid is seen passing by the Earth in a flyby (Illustrative).
© (photo credit: PIXABAY)
A massive asteroid the size of 84 orcas is set to pass by the Earth on Monday, June 12, according to NASA's asteroid tracker.
The asteroid in question has been designated 488453 (1994 XD), according to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Despite the initials, it has nothing to do with the XD emoticon some older users of SMS and instant messaging may recognize.
The asteroid is also one of three set to pass the Earth on Monday – and its arrival only heralds the passing of another, even larger one later this week.
A whale of an asteroid: How big is the asteroid coming toward Earth in 2023?
NASA estimates asteroid 488453 (1994 XD) as being as much as 830 meters in diameter.
Even on an astronomical level, that's huge as far as asteroids go – at least for the ones that pass Earth. Other asteroids in the asteroid belt, such as 16 Psyche and Ceres, are far larger.
To put this asteroid on a more down-to-Earth scale – or rather, down-to-water – consider the orca.
Also known as killer whales, orcas are one of the Earth's most iconic animals, as well as one of the most intelligent ones, being arguably second to just humans and widely recognized as the apex predators of the world's oceans.
hmm... how big is an orca?
well over 75 squirrels.
fucking clown world.