Earth Is Safe As Asteroid 2012 DA14 Passes By Harmlessly

A close flying asteroid traveling within 17,000 miles of Earth is on its way out.

The massive rock was the length of half a football field and in the same area as some of the world's orbiting TV and weather satellites.

Gay Yee Hill, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, described the moment the asteroid scooted by.

The asteroid is not the only large rock to make its way near Earth in the past 24 hours. Earlier today, a meteor struck the atmosphere over Russia, causing glass breaking shockwaves that injured hundreds. Paul Chodas, who works with NASA's asteroid tracking division says today's events are exceedingly rare.

But, Chodas says the two have nothing in common and are just a wild coincidence.