Two asteroids buzzed by Earth in back-to-back flybys on Monday and Tuesday, though they posed no danger to our planed, according to NASA scientists.

On Monday the newly discovered asteroid 2012 KP24 passed by Earth, coming within 32,000 miles on its closest approach, according to MSNBC.

Scientists with NASA’s Asteroid Watch program assured Twitter that:

“We’ll have a close but very safe pass of asteroid 2012 KP24 May 28.”

They also stated that another small asteroid, labeled 2012 KT42, buzzed by Earth early on Tuesday, coming closer than the first. NASA reports that the asteroid came within 8,950 miles of Earth, which easily fits between the Earth and the moon’s orbit, as the moon usually circles the Earth at around 240,000 miles.

Tony Philips, an astronomer with Spaceweather.com, assures that even if the asteroid hit the planed, it would not do much, because it is only about 16 feet wide. Phillips wrote that:

“Even if it did hit, this space rock is too small to cause significant damage. It would likely disintegrate almost entirely in the atmosphere, peppering the ground below with relatively small meteorites.”

Space.com reports that the Asteroid Watch is part of the Near-Earth Object office at NASA’s jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. They reportedly oversee the agency’s efforts to detect potentially dangerous asteroids or comets that could zoom close to Earth, and have the potential to collide with our planet.

According to MSNBC, astronomers believe that space rocks that measure about 460 feet across or bigger would be required to cause widespread devastation if they impact Earth. An object much larger than that would be required to cause global destruction.

Two Asteroids Buzz By Earth In Back-To-Back Close Encounters is a post from: The Inquisitr

A study by NASA using their Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has led to a new assessment in the number of asteroids that are potentially hazardous to Earth. The results also revealed new information about their origins, and how many asteroids are around Earth.

The PHAs (potentially hazardous asteroids, are a part of a larger group of space rocks near Earth. This specific type has the closes orbit to Earth, at 5 million miles nearby.

According to NASA.com, they are also capable of surviving entry into Earth’s atmosphere, potentially causing massive damage.

Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote that:

“Our team was surprised to find the overabundance of low-inclination PHAs [potentially hazardous asteroids]. Because they will tend to make more close approaches to Earth, these targets can provide the best opportunities for the next generation of human and robotic exploration.”

Space.com reports that the survey found about 4,700 potentially hazardous asteroids, give or take about 1,500 space rocks. Each of these is more than 330 feet wide. Of course, only about 30 percent of these PHAs have been found to date.

According to Huffington Post, Lindley Johnson, a program executive for NASA’s near-Earth object observation program wrote that:

“The NEOWISE analysis shows us we’ve made a good start at finding those objects that truly represent an impact hazard to Earth. But we’ve many more to find, and it will take a concerted effort during the next couple of decades to find all of them that could do serious damage or be a mission destination in the future.”

Previous data from the WISE spacecraft estimated about 20,500 asteroids over 100 meters in length orbited around Earth, but they have not been given the “potentially hazardous” classification.

NASA Report: 4,700 Asteroids Currently Threaten Earth is a post from: The Inquisitr