Just when you thought it could get no crazier.

[roller24]

The Jerusalem Post
Titanic asteroid the size of 84 orcas to pass Earth on Monday - NASA

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.

I knew orca whales were good for something.
hmm... how big is an orca?
well over 75 squirrels.
fucking clown world.

[rSin]

they must surely mean orca's layed end to end and the squirls the same thing.
cuz 84 orca's arent that much mass compared to alot of these near earth objects

[roller24]

Yeah, but why even think of orcas as a form of measurement? Why not football fields or acres or comparables like as big as Texas. Nope we use orcas.
Next thing you know OJ Simpson will be doing political commentary. Oops too late.

[Munchy]

Baaaad news? How big is the asteroid coming toward Earth in 2023?
No pulling the wool over your eyes on this one.
Asteroid the size of 28 sheep to ram past the Earth - NASA
Asteroid 2023 HO18 is around 28 sheep in diameter and is set to fly very close to the Earth, according to NASA.
However, it won't hit us, despite the close pass.

Here are a few other recent asteroids, along with their own special measurements.

Asteroid 2023 JE5 has an estimated diameter of 59 meters. That means it's around the size of the Goodyear Blimp.

Asteroid 2023 JR 2 has an estimated diameter of 63 meters. That means it's around the size of 31 average Yamaha motorcycles.

Asteroid the size of 18 walruses to pass Earth on Sunday May 21 - NASA
Asteroid 2023 JK, despite the name, is no joke – but it also won't hit us.
But its passing of Earth does come on a day when some Christians thought the end of the world would come.

Ramming speed: Is an asteroid going to hit the Earth in 2023?

Yes. Will it be asteroid 2023 HO18 or any of the others passing by today? No.

Rather, an asteroid already hit the Earth earlier this year – specifically back in February,
when asteroid 2023 CX1, the size of two Super Bowl trophies, impacted near Normandy in France.

Aside from that, several smaller objects – meteors – have already hit the Earth, too.
One even happened in Israel, exploding in the northeast of the country back in April.
Several months before that, a meteor the size of a Pembroke Welsh corgi hit Texas.

None of these caused any damage, because these small meteor and asteroid impacts,
when they do happen, usually don't cause any harm apart from a loud explosion.

But at 50 meters in diameter, asteroid 2023 HO18 is large enough to potentially cause some damage – though nothing of apocalyptic proportions.

Sheer danger: Can we stop an asteroid impact?

The field of planetary defense has been developed over the past several years in order for scientists at NASA and other institutions around the world to find ways to protect the Earth from asteroid impacts.

While a number of initiatives have been discussed, the one with the most support is NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission, which was successfully tested by crashing into the faraway asteroid Dimorphous, thus altering its orbit.

So humanity is at no risk of being killed by asteroids any time soon. Now you can sleep safe at night while counting sheep.

[Prawn Connery]

84 orcas! Fuck, that's like, 9.6 million prawns!

[Munchy]

well, it's long been suspected that's how the octopuses, er octopi, whatever.. Plural of Octopus, arrived on Earth.

[Prawn Connery]

well, it's long been suspected that's how the octopuses, er octopi, whatever.. Plural of Octopus, arrived on Earth.

Mate, I know those guys. The octopi paid an arm and a leg to get here, but the squid – those sexy molluscs – simply slept their way to the top. And that's why octopi only have eight limbs.

Makes me prawny just thinking about it . . .