A massive asteroid will safely fly by Earth today, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep an eye on it.
The news: The asteroid — named asteroid 1994 PC1 — will make its closest approach toward Earth for the next 200 years as it soars about 1 million miles away from Earth, according to Space.com.
Details: Per Space.com, any asteroid or comet that comes within 1.3 astronomical units (120.9 million miles) from Earth counts as a near-Earth object.
- The asteroid is wider than the tallest building in the world, CBS News reports. It measures about 3,280 feet across — or about twice the height of the New York’s Empire State Building (which is about 1,454 feet from top to bottom).
Close encounter: The asteroid will likely come within 1,231,184 miles of Earth. That’s the closest an asteroid has come since an asteroid came less than 700,000 miles from the planet on Jan. 17, 1933, according to CBS News.
How to watch: You can see the asteroid fly by Earth live through a YouTube video hosted by Italy’s Virtual Telescope Project, which will kick off the live feed at around 1 p.m. MST.
Next up: NASA is already preparing for more close calls for future asteroids, including this same asteroid.