What You Really Need to Know About That Asteroid Flying 'Towards' Earth Next Week - ScienceAlert

Despite the sensationalized tabloid headlines, 4660 Nereus is going to skim by at a nice, safe distance of 3.93 million kilometers (2.44 million miles) – just over 10 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.

Because of its size and distance from Earth, 4660 Nereus is classified as a potentially hazardous object.

Its next close visit will be on 14 February 2060, when it will fly by at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (over three times the distance between Earth and the Moon).