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NASA confirms asteroid headed towards Earth the day before US election

NASA has revealed that an asteroid is headed close to Earth on November 2nd. However, it only has a 0.41% chance of hitting us – phew!

It is 2020, what did we expect? NASA has stated an asteroid is headed our way on November 2nd, the day before the long-awaited US election.

The Center for Near Earth Objects Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has determined the asteroid, named 2018VP1, will come close to Earth on November 2. The flying space object is 6.5 feet in diameter and was first identified at the Palomar Observatory in California during 2018.

asteroid, space, nasa, earth 2020

There is no need to panic though. Even though NASA has not said the celestial object won’t hit us, the chances are quite slim. They have determined the likelihood of the asteroid hitting Earth is 0.41%, “based on 21 observations spanning 12.968 days”, according to a report by CNN.

NASA’S close approach database shows asteroid 2018VP1 is more likely to come between 4,700 miles and 260,000 miles of Earth, but if it was to make it into our atmosphere, it would visible as an extremely bright meteor and disperse into tiny pieces.

The agency has stated that the asteroid probably won’t wipe out the planet; the keyword here being *probably*.