Rob Landers

FLORIDA TODAY

UPDATE JUNE 9, 2014

NASA reports that a newly found asteroid has safely passed by Earth. The swing-by happened June 8 and was more than 777,000 miles away, more than three times farther away than our moon.

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An asteroid discovered last month will swing past the Earth on Sunday.

According to a NASA press release, the asteroid, designated as 2014 HQ124, will pass the planet at a distance of about 777,000 miles, more than three times farther away than our moon.

The asteroid was discovered April 23 by NASA's NEOWISE mission, a telescope adapted for searching for asteroids and comets.

Because the telescope detects infrared light, scientists are better able to determine size estimates on objects in space. 2014 HQ124 is estimated to be between 800 and 1,300 feet.

"There is zero chance of an impact" said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., via press release. "In fact, it's fairly common for asteroids to pass near Earth. You'd expect an object about the size of 2014 HQ124 to pass this close every few years."

More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects is available at: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/