NASA shows glimpse of asteroid that passes by on Christmas Eve

These images of an asteroid 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) long were taken on Dec. 17 (left) and Dec. 22 by scientists using NASA's giant Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSSR

'Twas the night  before Christmas when Asteroid 2003 SD220 passes by and makes its closest approach to Earth. NASA was able to take a few radar images of the asteriod. The space agency assures everyone that this pickled-shape asteroid will not be a threat to our planet at all. It'll pass by the planet at a distance  of 6.8 million miles. As Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for NEO Studies at JPL, said: "The closest this object will come to Santa and his eight tiny reindeer is about 28 times the distance between Earth and the moon." It'll pass by closer to us at 1.8 million miles in 2018 and then 1.7 million miles in 2070.

Source: NASA JPL