In an exciting development in space observations, an asteroid approximately the size of a skyscraper is expected to pass within an uncomfortably close 1.7 million miles of Earth on Friday. However, the folks at NASA have assured us that there's certainly no cause for alarm.

This giant rock, which has been closely monitored since its discovery in 2008, is going to miss our beautiful blue planet by a distance seven times that from Earth to the Moon. Experts predict that the asteroid, known by the scientific community as 2008 OS7, measures somewhere between 690 to 1,575 feet across. To put that into perspective, we're talking about an extraterrestrial object that nearly matches up to the size of New York City’s Empire State Building or the Willis Tower in Chicago.

After this encounter, 2008 OS7 won't grace our skies again until 2032, but at a much safer distance of 45 million miles away. This near-earth flyby is part of a series of such events this week. Stay tuned as there are three smaller asteroids also scheduled to buzz Earth on Friday, followed by another two on Saturday. On Sunday, an asteroid roughly half the size of 2008 0S7 is expected to swing by, maintaining a safe distance of 4.5 million miles away. So, what does this all mean? Should we be worried about Earth's safety?