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![An asteroid floating in space with Earth and the sun in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nUo34QwaQspKCncTFFharn-320-80.jpg)
Watch 'city killer' asteroid fly by Earth today on its closest approach for centuries (Feb. 2)
By Harry Baker last updated
A "potentially hazardous" space rock the size of a football stadium is about to reach its closest point to our planet for more than 100 years, and it won't get this close to us again for centuries more.
![Diagram showing the orbits of Earth and the near-Earth asteroid 2024 BJ.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6ji2n8TyYQKCcdUtpB5Dte-320-80.jpg)
Airplane-size asteroid will have 'very close encounter' with Earth on Saturday — and you can watch it happen
By Sascha Pare last updated
Asteroid 2024 BJ, which astronomers detected earlier this month, will zoom within 220,000 miles of Earth tomorrow, or closer to us than the average distance to the moon.
![Submarine on the background of a nuclear explosion.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wXy6hMpNn8End4t5aYsXwZ-320-80.jpg)
Will the Doomsday Clock stand still or creep closer to midnight? Here's how to watch the reveal on Tuesday.
By Sascha Pare published
Watch the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' annual Doomsday Clock announcement to find out if 2024 is the year we creep closer than ever to a human-made apocalypse.
![Earth, with the sun, Venus and Mercury in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bT9Bz62aDSgeAJiin9WBKQ-320-80.jpg)
Which planet is closest to Earth? (Hint: There's more than 1 right answer.)
By Harry Baker published
It may initially seem like a simple question, but determining which planet is closest to Earth is surprisingly tricky and can have multiple correct answers.
![An illustration of Earth 200 million years ago as Pangaea, the last supercontinent, began to break apart.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pGvtoEZ9LoZ3KK9WWamBQG-320-80.jpg)
Columbia, Rodinia and Pangaea: A history of Earth's supercontinents
By Patrick Pester published
Scientists have identified three definitive supercontinents in Earth's history and predict the landmasses we live on today will come together again in the future.
![This graphic shows the orbits of all the known Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), numbering over 1,400 as of early 2013.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MSbS6dRu9umA7er4XQrMkP-320-80.jpg)
Earth's intense gravity may rip space rocks apart, reducing the risk of 'planet killer' asteroids
By Abha Jain published
Earth and other terrestrial planets probably use their gravitational forces to tear apart asteroids ― but this creates more streams of smaller asteroids.
![The Milky Way seen in the night sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dbGZhmxwQmZYRLEwzZsGwL-320-80.jpg)
How many times has the sun traveled around the Milky Way?
By Harry Baker published
Our solar system has been orbiting the Milky Way's black hole heart for 4.6 billion years. But it is hard to pin down exactly how many trips around the galaxy our sun has made during that time.
![Mine, tunnel front, silhouette of a standing worker.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/c6wnznneHSPJWRbsQKN9tF-320-80.jpg)
What would happen if you drilled all the way through Earth?
By Hannah Loss published
Intense pressure and sweltering temperature would accompany a trip down through Earth's layers and out through the other side. However, this trip would be possible only in science fiction.
![Aerial view of Barringer crater (meteor impact) in Arizona.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j8UgsJybugp3z2mcfjtcLe-320-80.jpg)
Barringer Crater may have been formed by a cosmic 'curveball,' asteroid simulations show
By Deepa Jain published
Asteroids with different spins and bonding strengths may be responsible for the vast variety of impact craters on Earth, including Arizona's Barringer Crater, new simulations show.
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