An asteroid will pass by Earth next week, but it's unclear how close it will get

An asteroid about the size of a basketball court will pass safely by Earth on March 8, but scientists aren't quite sure how far the space rock will be from the planet when it flies by.

The best estimates at the moment have the 100-foot-long asteroid — named 2013 TX68 — passing about 3 million miles from Earth on Tuesday, but it's possible the cosmic object could get as close as 15,000 miles from the surface of the planet, according to NASA.

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Earlier estimates had 2013 TX68 flying by Earth on March 5 at a distance ranging from 9 million miles to 11,000 miles. NASA analyzed more observations of the asteroid since that prediction was made in order to refine the understanding of the space rock's orbit.

While the differences in the distance estimate are huge, and might strike some as alarming, NASA wants people to know they should not worry about a cosmic collision. (At least not this time.)

"There is no concern whatsoever regarding this asteroid — unless you were interested in seeing it with a telescope," NASA scientist Paul Chodas said in a statement. 

A map of 2013 TX68's orbit through the solar system.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA stresses that the asteroid will not get any closer than 15,000 miles from Earth during this flyby. 

The space agency is also predicting that the asteroid will not impact the planet at any point over the next 100 years based on the new, adjusted predictions.

"We already knew this asteroid, 2013 TX68, would safely fly past Earth in early March, but this additional data allow us to get a better handle on its orbital path," Chodas added. 

"The data indicate that this small asteroid will probably pass much farther away from Earth than previously thought."

If 2013 TX68 were to fall into Earth's atmosphere, it would likely create an "air burst with about twice the energy" of the Chelyabinsk asteroid — a space rock that exploded above Chelyabinsk, Russia, blowing out windows and causing injuries in 2013 — according to NASA.

Scientists estimate that the Chelyabinsk asteroid was about 65 feet across. 

By observing asteroids as they fly by Earth, scientists can potentially learn more about what the rocks are made of and how they move through the solar system. That kind of information could potentially lead to a better understanding of how to protect the planet from possible impacts.