NASA WARNING! Asteroid 2022 QR, clocked at a fiery 31000kmph; it will just miss Earth TODAY

NASA has issued a warning that an asteroid named Asteroid 2022 QR will just about miss Earth today as it flies by. Here's what we know about it.

Asteroid 2022 QR is headed for Earth and will fly by very closely today, on August 24. (NASA)

Asteroid flybys have been a frequent occurrence these past few weeks with over 35 asteroids just missing Earth by a close distance. People who are interested in astronomy can take out their telescopes to watch these celestial bodies fly past Earth. However, these asteroids can potentially cause destruction if they impact with Earth. NASA has now issued another asteroid warning. A 42-foot asteroid named Asteroid 2022 QR will make its closest approach to Earth today, August 24.

Asteroid 2022 QR to get very close to Earth

According to NASA, Asteroid 2022 QR will fly closely past Earth today. The asteroid is expected to make its closest approach at 17:07 UTC time. Asteroid 2022 QR is nearly 42 feet, which is as big as a bus, travelling at nearly 31,000 kilometers per hour. NASA's JPL has confirmed that this asteroid will not crash on Earth. It is expected to fly past Earth at a distance of merely 1.3 million kilometers, which is a distance equivalent to 3.5507 Lunar Distance. That might seem a lot but NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office has still classified it as a “Potentially Hazardous Object” due to the close proximity by which it will fly past Earth.

How does NASA maintain asteroid watch?

NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is responsible for monitoring the skies and keeping a watch on various Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). If any celestial object is at risk of Earth impact, it red flags and issues the alert. Asteroids which come closer than 28 million miles from Earth's orbit are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids, according to NASA.

With the help of advanced telescopes, more than 750,000 asteroids have been discovered to date, of which more than 27,000 are near-Earth asteroids.