Huge asteroid is set to hit the Earth this week

Brace yourself

An astroid heading straight towards the Earth has been identified by NASA. Asteroid 2023 BU was spotted by NASA's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) on January 21 and is scheduled to shoot past the planet on Friday January 27 at 12.30am. The rock will skim roughly 2,500 miles above the Earth's surface, making it the fourth-nearest of past and future space rocks to come close to the planet. For those fearing the worst, CNEOS have put those worries at ease, explaining that even if the asteroid was on course to hit the Earth as it only measures between 12.4ft and 27.8ft. According to NASA's space experts, asteroids smaller than 82ft are more than likely to burn in the Earth's atmosphere as oppose to hitting the ground. However those who wish to view the asteroid will still be able to see it shoot past our skies courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project. The VTP is a set of robotic telescopes based in Ceccano, Italy are accessible online for those keen to see the stars and beyond all from the comfort of your own home. Live coverage of the asteroid will start on Thursday January 26 at 7.15pm. It isn't the only project that NASA have been working on either. The space experts have also developed a new handheld laser to help scientists potentially detect alien life. Weighing in at 17 pounds, the laser is said to be small enough for astronauts to be able to carry them while out on missions and was developed by Maryland University. An ultraviolet laser is used to remove particles from planetary material before analysing them in the hope to discover organic compounds. Related links:

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