An asteroid the size of an airplane flies past Earth today

An asteroid the size of a passenger plane will pass close to the Earth today, but there is no possibility of it hitting the Earth, the American space agency NASA announced.

"Asteroid 2012 EG5 will pass Earth safely on April 1," scientists from NASA's asteroid tracking program said in a statement on Twitter.

Although the asteroid passing by on April 1 is no joke, it will come close to the Earth at about 230.000 kilometers, which is less than half the distance between the Earth and the Moon's orbit.

Asteroid 2012 EG5 is the third small asteroid to fly by Earth in seven days. Two smaller asteroids passed by Earth on March 26.