'Christmas Eve Asteroid' Will Fly By Earth, Says NASA

Those eagerly awaiting the start of Christmas Eve can breathe a sigh of relief.

The "Christmas Eve Asteroid" will safely pass Earth, according to NASA.
Photo Credit: *NASA*

12/24/2015 3:30 p.m.

The so-called "Christmas Eve Asteroid" will not destroy Earth, according to NASA.

"There is no cause for concern over the upcoming flyby of asteroid 2003 SD220 this Christmas Eve," said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for NEO Studies at JPL. "The closest this object will come to Santa and his eight tiny reindeer is about 28 times the distance between Earth and the moon."

An asteroid of around 3,600 feet in length was photographed by NASA scientists using Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif. The near-Earth object will fly past our planet Thursday at a distance of 6.8 million miles. The asteroid is expected to fly by again in 2018 at a closer distance of 1.8 million miles.