EARTH – A giant asteroid is expected to make a pass at Earth Tuesday night, passing just 4.3 million miles from Earth.
The asteroid has been named Toutatis. Sky watchers around the world will be waiting in anticipation as the asteroid passes close to our planet.
This isn’t the first time the asteroid said hello to planet Earth. It frequently approaches terrestrial planets, including our little blue world. It’s listed as a potentially hazardous object, although the odds of a collision with the Earth are very small.
According to FOXNEWS.com, the 3-mile-wide asteroid will be at it’s closest early Wednesday morning. Thankfully it poses no threat to the planet, though several conspiracy groups link its connection to 12/12/12.
If you have a good enough telescope, scientists believe you’ll be able to witness the event yourself.
FOX 17 Meteorologist Kevin Craig reports West Michigan will be under overcast skies Wednesday morning, but you’ll be able to watch the event through a video stream online at slooh.com.
Also in the skies tonight the Geminids meteor shower is nearing its peak, which is December 13, 2012. Kevin says you should be able to witness that event over the next few days as our skies will eventually clear out.
For more on the asteroid, read the full story on FOXNEWS.com.
(Photo in story courtesy of NASA)