At a Glance

The fast-moving asteroid is about the size of a city block and should be visible to those with a small telescope.The asteroid will be moving at a speed ofabout 28,655 miles per hour when it shoots past Earth. It will pass within 126,419 miles of Earth, or about half the distance from our planet to the moon.

An asteroid the size of a city block is set to zing past Earth today.

Asteroid at 6:05 p.m. ESTTuesday, passing within 126,419 miles of the planet,or about half the distance from Earthto the moon, according to NASA.

"Asteroids this size approach about this close about , on average," Paul Chodas,manager of theCenter for Near Earth Object Studiesat NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "So it's a fairly rare event, a special opportunity, a chance to observe it scientifically."

Firstdiscovered in 2010 by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona, the fast-moving asteroid will be visible to those with a small telescope.

"At no time will it be visible to the eye as it sweeps past Earth," notes Earth Sky. "It might get as bright asmagnitude +11, which would make it bright enough to be seen in amateur telescopes pointed at the correct location and time"

The asteroid will be moving at a speed ofabout 28,655 miles per hour when it shoots past the Earthand is the closest this particular asteroid has passed Earth in 300 years,.