A 400-meter-wide asteroid is due to cross Earth-Moon orbit later today --but don't worry NASA assure us we're not going to be hit by the hurtling space rock.
The catichily-named 2005 YU55 will pass 15 percent closer to Earth than the Moon’s typical orbit, which is pretty close in space terms.
First discovered in 2005 by Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch Program, the asteroid has been previously observed but NASA hope today's fly-by will reveal a wealth of information.
They hope to discover detail about the asteroid’s surface features, shape, and dimensions -- not what happens if it hits us.
A spokesperson for NASA said: "Although classified as a potentially hazardous object, 2005 YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over at least the next 100 years.
"However, this will be the closest approach to date by an object this large that we know about in advance and an event of this type will not happen again until 2028 when asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances."
The catichily-named 2005 YU55 will pass 15 percent closer to Earth than the Moon’s typical orbit, which is pretty close in space terms.
First discovered in 2005 by Robert McMillan of the Spacewatch Program, the asteroid has been previously observed but NASA hope today's fly-by will reveal a wealth of information.
They hope to discover detail about the asteroid’s surface features, shape, and dimensions -- not what happens if it hits us.
A spokesperson for NASA said: "Although classified as a potentially hazardous object, 2005 YU55 poses no threat of an Earth collision over at least the next 100 years.
"However, this will be the closest approach to date by an object this large that we know about in advance and an event of this type will not happen again until 2028 when asteroid (153814) 2001 WN5 will pass to within 0.6 lunar distances."