A large asteroid set to pass Earth today poses "no threat" according to the Obama administration.
The asteroid, called 1998 QE2, will safely pass Earth and will be approximately 3.6 million miles away, or 15 times the distance to the moon according to the Los Angeles Times.
The closest approach to Earth will take place at 5:00 p.m. in the U.S,
A video feed was made available from Slooh Space Camera's remote-controlled light telescope in the Canary Islands at 4:30 p.m.
The asteroid was discovered on Aug. 19, 1998 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Near Earth Research program in New Mexico.
"It will be fun to actually watch it change position," said Bob Burman, a columnist for Astronomy magazine, in a press statement according to Space.com. "And although it will not come nearer than 14 moon distances, that's still about 10 times closer than Mars can ever get."
Click here to read more about the asteroid.
Scientists said that there's a small chance you could see the asteroid with a 4 to 6-inch telescope. NASA experts said this week they would be tracking the space rock with a 230-foot-wide Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, C.A.
Experts have already learned that asteroid 1998 QE2 is traveling with a moon approximately 2,000 feet in length, that the asteroid is spinning as it moves, and that it likely has deep crevices on its surface according to Space.com.
Astronomers at both locations will track the space rock from May 31 to June 9. Asteroid 1998 QE2 makes a full rotation once every 5.3 hours.
"It's my understanding that scientists have concluded that the asteroid poses no threat to planet Earth," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest according to USA Today.
Obama was never actually briefed about the 1.7 mile-wide asteroid, as it didn't pose a threat to earth.
The next time the asteroid will be this close to Earth again will be in 2119.
Related Articles:
Cosmic Crash 2022: Scientists Plan To Intentionally Collide A Spacecraft Into An Asteroid To See What's Inside (VIDEO)
Asteroid Flyby: Watch Asteroid 2013 ET Soar Past Earth Live This Weekend, Find Out When, Live Stream Here (VIDEO)
Tesla Motors Working on Small Crossover, Compact Sedan, Will Reach Dealers by 2017, Prices Revealed (VIDEO)
Transformers 4 News: Optimus Prime Gets an Upgrade, Bumblebee Becomes a 1967 Camaro, New Autobots Designs Revealed by Michael Bay (PHOTOS/ VIDEO)
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
