Enormous asteroid 7335 (1989 JA) to fly by Earth on May 27 - Livescience.com

An enormous asteroid four times the size of the Empire State Building will make a close approach to Earth on May 27, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Fear not: the asteroid, named 7335 (1989 JA), will soundly miss our planet by about 2.5 million miles (4 million kilometers) — or nearly 10 times the average distance between Earth and the moon.

Still, given the space rock's enormous size (1.1. miles, or 1.8 km, in diameter) and relatively close proximity to Earth, NASA has classified the asteroid as "potentially hazardous," meaning it could do enormous damage to our planet if its orbit ever changes and the rock impacts Earth.

According to NASA, 7335 (1989 JA) is the largest asteroid that will make a close approach to Earth this year.

The rock won't make another close flyby until June 23, 2055, when it will pass even farther away than this flyby, or within about 70 times the distance between Earth and moon?

—What happened when the dinosaur-killing asteroid slammed into Earth.

7335 (1989 JA) also fits into a class of asteroid called the Apollo-class — which refers to asteroids that orbit the sun while periodically crossing Earth's orbit, Live Science previously reported.

The collision won't destroy the asteroid, but it may change the rock's orbital path slightly, Live Science previously reported.