Christmas Eve Asteroid Will Not Destroy Us All, NASA Says

Have no fear. The nearly 4,000-foot asteroid that’s hurtling toward Earth on Christmas Eve will not hit the planet, NASA says.

The space agency issued a statement on Wednesday amid fears of an impending Armageddon, confirming the giant rock known as the “Asteroid 2003 SD220” will safely fly past Earth on Dec. 24 by at least 6.8 million miles.

“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. “The closest this object will come to Santa and his eight tiny reindeer is about 28 times the distance between Earth and the moon.”

The asteroid, however, will come closer to Earth in 2018 at a distance of 1.8 million miles, NASA said. It will be the closest to Earth in 2070 at about 2 million miles.