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How to see skyscraper-sized asteroid set to pass Earth Tuesday afternoon

The asteroid is a big one, but no need to panic.

An asteroid will be safely passing by Earth on Tuesday, and you can watch all the action from the comfort of your home.

Here's everything you need to know about how to catch a glimpse of this blink-or-you'll-miss-it cosmic event.

An asteroid known as 7482 (1994 PC1) will pass by Earth on Tuesday, fortunately from a safe distance.
An asteroid known as 7482 (1994 PC1) will pass by Earth on Tuesday, fortunately from a safe distance.B612 Foundation

When will the asteroid be closest to Earth?

At approximately 4:51 p.m. EST on Jan. 18, 2022, to be exact.

How big is the asteroid?

Simply put, it’s pretty massive. To put things in perspective, the asteroid is more than twice as big as the Empire State Building at more than 3,000 feet, per the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Is the asteroid dangerous?

Unlike the comet that destroyed most of civilization in the recent Netflix film “Don’t Look Up,” this asteroid doesn’t actually pose a threat to us.

“It’s unusual enough to get something this big come this close. It's just not close enough to worry,” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told TODAY.

That's one massive asteroid.
That's one massive asteroid.TODAY

How do I watch the asteroid event?

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the asteroid as it flies by Earth? You have multiple viewing options. If you have a backyard telescope, you might be able to spot it.

Don’t have a telescope at home? A Virtual Telescope online will be livestreaming the out-of-this-world event on YouTube.

How fast is the asteroid?

The asteroid will zoom by us at more than 43,000 miles per hour.

How close is the asteroid to Earth?

The asteroid is more than five times as far away as the moon.

When will the asteroid pass by Earth again?

The website Earth Sky states that the asteroid will not approach Earth this closely again for at least another 200 years.