[Josy]

(Reuters) - A huge asteroid will pass closer to Earth than the moon on Tuesday, giving scientists a rare chance for study without having to go through the time and expense of launching a probe, officials said.

Earth's close encounter with Asteroid 2005 YU 55 will occur at 6:28 p.m. EST (2328 GMT) on Tuesday, as the space rock sails about 201,000 miles (323,469 km) from the planet.

"It is the first time since 1976 that an object of this size has passed this closely to the Earth. It gives us a great -- and rare -- chance to study a near-Earth object like this," astronomer Scott Fisher, a program director with the National Science Foundation, said on Thursday during a Web chat with reporters.

The orbit and position of the asteroid, which is about 1,312 feet (400 meters) in diameter, is well known, added senior research scientist Don Yeomans, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

"There is no chance that this object will collide with the Earth or moon," Yeomans said.

Thousands of amateur and professional astronomers are expected to track YU 55's approach, which will be visible from the planet's northern hemisphere. It will be too dim to be seen with the naked eye, however, and it will be moving too fast for viewing by the Hubble Space Telescope.

"The best time to observe it would be in the early evening on November 8 from the East Coast of the United States," Yeomans said. "It is going to be very faint, even at its closest approach. You will need a decent-sized telescope to be able to actually see the object as it flies by."

Scientists suspect YU 55 has been visiting Earth for thousands of years, but because gravitational tugs from the planets occasionally tweak its path, they cannot tell for sure how long the asteroid has been in its present orbit.

"These sorts of events have been happening for most of the lifetime of the Earth, about 4.5 billion years," Fisher said.

[Benjamin]

I just read about this. I wish we were able to see it.

[King Gizzard]

I've heard it's going to crash into Airdrie apparently

[Josy]

Originally Posted by ukturtle

I just read about this. I wish we were able to see it.

Yeah I want to see it but don't know anyone with a telescope

Originally Posted by Nathan

I've heard it's going to crash into Airdrie apparently

Good. It might get rid of the riffraff

[Benjamin]

There should be somewhere you can rent telescopes from for events like this.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

if it crashed in scotland would england still die?

[King Gizzard]

Probably the telescope rental shop

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

[King Gizzard]

Originally Posted by Scott

if it crashed in scotland would england still die?

It's the size of an aircraft carrier so I would hazard a guess at no

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

yeah but i saw this movie once where an asteroid crashed and it wasn't even that big and the entire world exploded

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

nutty professor 2 i think

[Josy]

Originally Posted by Scott

if it crashed in scotland would england still die?

Only in your street

Our library has an observatory but i'm not going in there.

[Josy]

We can watch here

http://events.slooh.com/

[Ramsay]

Sweeeeeeeet

[King Gizzard]

Roughly what time will she see it Josy of Airdrie?

[Josy]

About an hour and 25 minutes so about 9, theres a countdown on that website.

[King Gizzard]

Thankyou my good fair lady.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Josy

About an hour and 25 minutes so about 9, theres a countdown on that website.

A Top Expert on Ch4 news just confirmed
its not going to hit earth

[Josy]

Originally Posted by arista

A Top Expert on Ch4 news just confirmed
its not going to hit earth

it's still good to watch though it's the first time in about 35 years that an object this size has come so close.

[King Gizzard]

Thanks for the heads up arista I was worried for a minute

[King Gizzard]

If you refresh it the same videeo starts again You sure this is a live feed

[King Gizzard]

Originally Posted by Josy

About an hour and 25 minutes so about 9, theres a countdown on that website.

It says 4 hours now

[Josy]

Yeah that was a video its live now, wtf though how are we meant to know which ones the asteriod

[Josy]

This is pointless, I knew I shouldnt have let you talk me into watching it Nathan

[King Gizzard]

It's hit Croydon