A monster asteroid the size of the Empire State Building is set to fly past Earth tomorrow at a dizzying speed of 14,092 miles per hour.

The asteroid, dubbed 2017 VR12, is expected to pass within 900,000 miles of Earth around 7:53am (EST) on Wednesday.

With a diameter between 700ft and 1,500ft, VR12 could be bigger than New York City's Empire State Building, which is 1,450ft tall.

VR12's close encounter to Earth has earned it the designation of a 'potentially hazardous asteroid' by NASA.

The space agency describes asteroids as 'hazardous' if they come within 4,600,000 miles of our planet.

Late Wednesday evening, VR12 will fly past earth at a distance of 897,000 miles.

That's three times distance between our planet and the moon.

However, NASA cautioned that there's no possibility that 2017 VR12 will collide with Earth.

In fact, the agency believes the asteroid could be a perfect target for future aerospace studies.

'This object is on the NHATS list of potential spacecraft mission targets, although no mission is actually planned for this object,' the agency explained.

'It should be a very strong radar target,' they added.

VR12 was previously estimated to be as much as 470 meters wide, causing experts to believe that it was bigger than Buckingham Palace.

Those estimates have since been reduced, but NASA is still classifying VR12 as a 'medium sized rock.'

According to NASA, 2017 VR12 was first discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii on Nov. 10, 2017.

It's not supposed to come within Earth's range for another 177 years or so.

Thanks to the virtual telescope project, people all over the world will be able to see the skyscraper-sized asteroid zoom past the earth using a live webcast.

Stargazers can watch the VR12 fly by the earth using the 16-inch robotic telescope at the Tenagra Observatories in Arizona as part of the Virtual Telescope Project and Tenagra Observatories.

VR12 is passing by just a few days after a bus-sized asteroid, 2018 DV1, came within 65,000 miles of our planet last week.

The DV1 has a diameter between 20 to 40 feet and flew past at a speed of 11,600mph. </s> A massive asteroid is all set to fly extremely close to Earth today, at the speed of 14,092 miles per hour. And if the speed isn't shocking enough – the asteroid is as huge as the Empire State Building.

Dubbed as 2017 VR12, the asteroid is expected to pass within 900,000 miles of Earth around 7:53am (EST) on Wednesday. Its diameter is between 700ft and 1,500ft – making it bigger than the Empire State Building, which is 1,450ft tall.

NASA has labelled the VR12 a 'potentially hazardous asteroid' due to the close proximity with Earth. Typically, if asteroids come within 4,600,000 miles of Earth, the space agency labels them as hazardous.

This particular one is scheduled to make its trip past Earth on late Wednesday – at a distance of 897,000 miles – which is three times the distance between our planet and the moon.

However, NASA has also assured that there is no possibility for the 2017 VR12 to collide with Earth. If anything, the agency believes the asteroid could be a perfect target for future aerospace studies.

"This object is on the NHATS list of potential spacecraft mission targets, although no mission is actually planned for this object," the agency explained. "It should be a very strong radar target," they added.

Initially experts had estimated that the VR12 was about 470 metres wide, leading them to believe that the asteroid was the size of the Buckingham Palace. And while those estimates have been reduced, NASA is still classifying it as a 'medium sized rock.'

As NASA revealed, the 2017 VR12 was first discovered by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii on November 10, 2017. It is also not supposed to come within Earth's range for another 177 years or so.

The live action of the asteroid zooming past Earth can be caught by people all over the world, via the Virtual Telescope project through a live webcast.

Stargazers can watch the asteroid using the 16-inch robotic telescope at the Tenagra Observatories in Arizona, which is a part of the Virtual Telescope Project and Tenagra Observatories. </s> Asteroid 2017 VR 12, which is about the size of the Empire State Building, will flash its pearly whites between late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning and will come within an estimated 900,000 miles of Earth.

​Traveling through space at a speed of 14,000 mph, the asteroid will be "most observable" around 11 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday when it travels in front of the constellation Virgo, Earth Sky reported. The asteroid isn't expected to reach its closest approach to Earth until roughly 2:53 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.

Although NASA has identified the asteroid as "potentially hazardous," officials have indicated that it does not pose any threat to Earth since it's at a distance of roughly three times farther than the moon.

According to NASA's calculations, another 177 years will pass before the asteroid comes near Earth again for another quick hello.

​Asteroid 2017 VR 12 was first discovered on November 10, 2017, by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii. Interested stargazer and asteroid fanatics can also catch a glimpse of the traveling rock by tuning into the Virtual Telescope Project's 7 p.m. live coverage on Tuesday. </s> A sizable space rock cruised through our corner of the galaxy Wednesday without doing any harm, but it did provide a rare opportunity for even amateur astronomers to catch an asteroid fly-by.

Asteroid 2017 VR12 passed by at a safe distance of about 870,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers), which is 3.76 times the distance between the moon and Earth. While that's a big gap, it's still close in cosmic terms. Because it's big enough to do major damage if it does one day hit us it's classified as "potentially hazardous."

Most notable about this asteroid, though, is how bright it is. On its approach in February and as it now heads away from us, it is as bright as some stars, as demonstrated in the above video captured by astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project and Michael Schwartz from Arizona's Tenagra Observatories.

The brief clip is actually 240 images taken early Wednesday morning over two hours and sped up 500 times to show the asteroid moving against the backdrop of stars and the occasional satellite or perhaps tiny meteor streaking by in the foreground.

Amateur astronomer Brian Ottum also managed to capture video of the bright asteroid:

As asteroids go, 2017 VR12 is medium-sized. With a diameter of roughly 900 feet (274 meters), it would stand about as tall as the 71-story Trump Building on Wall Street in Manhattan. In other words, it's fair to say both 2017 VR12 and the Trump Building are big, but not huuuge.

This is probably as close as this asteroid will be in our lifetimes, but it won't be a total stranger. It will make a more distant pass in just eight years and then come nearly as close again in 2079.

Solving for XX: The tech industry seeks to overcome outdated ideas about "women in tech." </s> An asteroid the size of the Empire State building will glide past Earth on March 7. Here’s everything you need to know!

This is not a drill! A colossal asteroid, named 2017 VR12 is expected to fly past Earth on Wednesday at the speed of 14,092 miles per hour. In size, the asteroid measures between 700ft and 1,500ft, according to NASA. So crazy, right? Interestingly, VR12 has potential to be hazardous if it comes within a certain distance to our beloved planet, 4,600,000 miles to be exact. But before you freak out, scientist believe it will be more than 900,000 miles away from us– roughly 3.8 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.

Since the asteroid will be closest to Earth at 2:53 am EST, space fanatics can tune in using their telescopes. To better view VR12, nature publication EarthSky recommends using a dark cloth or shirt over your head while using a telescope. Plus, you can also view the asteroid through a live streamed video offered by the Virtual Telescope Project. How fun will that be?! Surprisingly, VR12 isn’t the first asteroid to take a trip past earth this month. On Feb. 4, a rocky mass named 2002 AJ129 passed by Earth safely. This asteroid was also dubbed hazardous but luckily, nothing happened, according USA Today. So it’s safe to assume, we’ll be okay this time around.

If you recall, the only time a mass from space came dangerously close to Earth was in 1972. The Great Fireball or US19720810 was a fire ball that passed within 57 kilometers of Earth’s surface. It was seen by many people and even recorded on film. It left a smoke trail behind, and created a loud sonic boom noise. Lets hope we never have to experience that again! </s> Asteroid VR12 is nearing our planet with every passing second as the terrifying combination of space rock, ice and metal speeds through the cosmos. With a diameter of 287 metres the asteroid is a sight to behold – almost as wide as London’s imposing Shard skyscraper is tall. VR12 has now been named one of 1,882 asteroids that are described as 'potentially hazardous’ as it makes its approach to the planet. Hitting terrifying speeds of 6.3 kilometres per second, or 22,680 kmh, astronomers expect the astroid from the depths of space to skim past the planet tomorrow, March 7 around 7.53am TDB.

Thankfully there appears to be absolutely no cause for concern because the speeding asteroid will just about miss the planet. At its minimum distance, NASA expects the asteroid to approach Earth within 0.09 AU, or 1,346,380 km. Asteroid VR12’s path will take it within 3.8 Lunar Distances of the Planet, where one LD is the average distance between Earth and the Moon. But the VR12 is still listed on the American space agency’s list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs).

NASA’s astronomers categories PHAs as space rocks bigger than 100 metres in diameter, which run the risk of coming closer to Earth than 0.05 AU, or 7,479,894 km. The space agency explained: “Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are currently defined based on parameters that measure the asteroid's potential to make threatening close approaches to the Earth. “Specifically, all asteroids with an Earth Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less and an absolute magnitude (H) of 22.0 or less are considered PHAs. “In other words, asteroids that can't get any closer to the Earth (i.e., MOID) than 0.05 au (roughly 7,480,000 km or 4,650,000 mi) or are smaller than about 140 m (~500 ft) in diameter (i.e., H = 22.0 with assumed albedo of 14%) are not considered PHAs.”

Based on its orbital movement, NASA has been able to track its movement through time. VR12 last fellow past Earth on June 17 2010 and will next visit the planet on march 19 in the year 2026. But as horrendous as the prospect of VR12 may be, the reality is that hundreds of smaller asteroids pelt the planet on a daily basis, and burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the ground. NASA said: “Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles. </s> Asteroid 2002 AJ129, an intermediate-sized near-Earth asteroid will pass by Earth on Sunday, February 4, 2018.

The asteroid will make its closest approach to the Earth at a distance which is greater than 10 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. It is predicted to pass by at around 1:30 p.m. PST (4:30 p.m. EST/ 21:30 UTC).

The asteroid is believed to have a size between 0.3 miles or 0.5 kilometers and 0.75 miles or 1.2 kilometers.

However, Astronomers do not have any fears about the flyby. Paul Chodas, the manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, said, "We have been tracking this asteroid for over 14 years and know its orbit very accurately. Our calculations indicate that asteroid 2002 AJ129 has no chance-zero-of colliding with Earth on Feb.4 or anytime over the next 100 years."

The asteroid will have a velocity of 76,000 mph (34 kilometers per second) at its closest distance. This is higher than the majority of the near-Earth object during their flyby across Earth. The flyby velocity is higher due to the asteroid's orbit which approaches the sun at a distance of 11 million miles or 18 million kilometers.

It was discovered by NASA-sponsored Near Earth Asteroid Tracking project at the Maui Space Surveillance Site on Haleakala, Hawaii on January 15, 2002.

Even though asteroid 2002 AJ129 is categorized as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA), it will not form any collision with Earth any soon. JPL's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies makes observations on the asteroids, comets or any other bodies which pass by Earth for the NASA's Near-Earth Object Observation Program.

NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office studies the near earth bodies to avoid any potential hazards or collisions with Earth. They also aim to work to tackle such situations warn people and lead any disaster management missions.

Space organizations are also keenly watching NEOs during their close encounters with Earth. One such observation has led to the identification of 'Oumuamua', the first interstellar object to pass through the Solar System near Earth. </s> MIAMI - An asteroid about the size of the Empire State Building will swing by Earth tonight, and if the conditions are right, it could be visible through a run-of-the-mill telescope.

Asteroid 2017 VR12 will pass within 897,000 miles of the planet, which is less than four times the distance between the Earth and moon.

The asteroid is thought to measure 1,600 feet in diameter and will first pass over the U.S. just before 11:00 p.m. Tuesday on the East Coast. It will reach its minimum distance from the planet on Thursday morning.

Using optical aid, observers in eastern North America can try to spot the asteroid on March 6 at about 11 p.m. EST. The asteroid will be in front of the constellation Virgo, which will be rising over the eastern horizon around that time. That area of the sky will be visible from Los Angeles, California and the rest of western North America after about 9:30 p.m. PST. - EarthSky.org

Despite its smaller size and safe distance away from Earth, Asteroid 2017 VR12 is still classified as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" by the Minor Planet Center, according to EarthSky.org.

If the skies are clear, the asteroid will be visible with a telescope, but CLICK HERE to watch the asteroid live online. </s> An asteroid bigger than the Golden Gate Bridge is careering toward Earth at breakneck speed. What’s even more alarming is that experts admit it’s “potentially hazardous” to our world.

Astronomers have been following asteroid 2017 VR12 since it was detected in November last year. NASA says that the enormous space rock will shave past our planet in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Measuring up to 470 meters (1,542ft) in diameter the rock is travelling through space at 14,093mph (22,680kph). Because it will come so close to Earth and is big enough to cause significant damage, if it were to strike, the Minor Planet Center designated the asteroid as “potentially hazardous.”

However, fear not, it will not crash into Earth, rather it will pass by at about three times the distance of the moon. It will be nearly 1.4 million km from Earth (870,000 miles) at its closest point during the flyby.

READ MORE: Space time capsules: Asteroids may hold secret to life on Earth

The asteroid is a very good radar target for professional astronomers while amateurs might be able to catch it with smaller telescopes.

NASA’s calculations predict it will be at least 177 years before the asteroid again comes as close to Earth as it will be on Wednesday. Ruptly will be live streaming the close encounter with the asteroid through Virtual Telescope's super high-powered telescope.

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Near-Earth asteroid 2017 VR12 makes a flyby past Earth.