2017 is shaping up to be a real treat for astronomy fans: not only will they be treated to a rare solar eclipse on Monday, less than two weeks after a significant asteroid fly-by will take place. Dubbed Asteroid Florence, NASA has revealed that it will be the largest to pass by our planet since it began keeping track of near-Earth asteroids, and it’s scheduled to zoom past on September 1st. NASA says its measurements put Asteroid Florence at 2.7 miles wide, and it’s expected to pass by Earth at a distance of 4.4 million miles, or 18 times the distance between Earth and the moon. Paul Chodas of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory notes that while there have been many asteroids that passed by closer to our planet, none have been this large. read more https://www.slashgear.com/earth-will-see-its-largest-asteroid-fly-by-in-september-19495849/
