An asteroid the size of over 543 McDonald's French fries (at least according to one questionable study) is set to fly past the Earth on Friday (or rather, Fryday), March 22, as noted by data in NASA's asteroid tracker.
According to the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the asteroid in question has been dubbed 2024 FK1.
While it will fly closer than many other asteroids at just over 1 million kilometers away, it still poses no risk of even chipping the Earth.
Fry safely: How big is the asteroid coming towards Earth?
Asteroid 2024 FK1 is estimated by NASA to measure as much as 32 meters in diameter.
But that means nothing without something to compare it to. So, let's use a more relatable metric specifically requested by The Jerusalem Post's hardworking social media manager, Noemi Szakács: French fries.
Yes, you know them, and you love them. They are the most iconic of all side dishes, universally beloved by everyone all over the world (even if this humble reporter believes that onion rings are superior, but alas, we live in a cruel, French fry-dominated world).
Also known as chips for those not of US origins, French fries are (apparently) delicious, but how big are French fries? How could you measure an asteroid using such an inconsistent metric, varying from place to place, from order to order?
Well, we have the power of science – that is, some scientists seem to have already done the work for me.
McDonald's is often considered the gold standard for French fries, so that's the metric we'll be using. According to a mid-2000s study from the Research Science Institute, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the average McDonald's French fry was 58.9 mm. long. However, this study does not appear to have been peer-reviewed, and the author was simply listed as Fryboy Hamburglar, written under the direction of one Dr. Ronald McDonald of Hamburger University.
However, the study credits the original study of French fry length to Daniel Biss, another alumnus of the Research Science Institute. Biss later became an accomplished mathematician and academic and even served as a member of the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives.
While the exact data Biss managed to obtain is unknown and may not have been archived online, it was apparently conducted in 1994. As such, we will give Biss and this bizarre Research Science Institute study the benefit of the doubt and assume their measure of 58.9 mm. is genuine.
Considering that asteroid 2024 FK1 is around the size of over 543 McDonald's French fries stacked end to end, one after the other – assuming this study is correct.
Sure, I could buy French fries, but I prefer onion rings, so no.
Now, don't worry, French fry fans, this asteroid isn't going to hit the Earth, even though an asteroid has already hit the Earth this year.
But with all the advances being made in planetary defense, even a French fry asteroid could be deflected if we had enough warning.
The unhealthiness of the French fries, though, maybe more lethal, in theory.