A large asteroid will pass by Earth on Tuesday, coming about 201,000 miles from our planet—closer than the moon. Scientists have calculated the asteroid’s orbit for the next 100 years, and say it won’t hit Earth or the moon. It’s 1,312 feet in diameter, and appears to be made of carbon-based materials and silicate rock. Researchers hope to use the close pass to take readings of the asteroid. NASA plans to launch a human mission to an asteroid in the mid-2020s.
