In a close encounter, an enormous asteroid approximately 890 feet in size, more than double the height of the Empire State Building in New York City, flew past Earth on Friday. According to NASA, the colossal space rock is expected to return in less than a decade.

NASA reported that at its closest point, the asteroid was about 1,770,000 miles away from our planet, equivalent to approximately 7.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. Any objects exceeding 150 meters in size are considered "potentially hazardous" if they approach within 4.6 million miles of Earth, nearly 19.5 times the distance to the Moon.

Referred to as "city killers" by experts, asteroids of this magnitude have the potential to wipe out entire cities if they collide with Earth. Nevertheless, this particular asteroid is not considered a "planet killer" as it is at least 70 times smaller than the Vredefort meteor, which caused the extinction of dinosaurs over 66 million years ago, according to Space.com.

This was the asteroid's first approach to Earth since 2016, as reported by USA Today. Discovered in 2008, the massive space rock is not expected to return until around 2032, according to the Associated Press.

In addition to this colossal asteroid, three other smaller space rocks, described as being closer in size to a house or airplane, were expected to pass by Earth on Friday.

As scientists continue to monitor the movements of these celestial bodies, the close flyby of the massive asteroid serves as a reminder of the potential risks posed by space objects and the importance of continued research to ensure the safety of our planet.