Watch Live Stream: Asteroid Passes Earth In Close Call

NEW YORK, NY — Earth is destined to survive another day — but just barely. On Wednesday night, Asteroid 2012 TC4 will zip by the planet at a distance of 27,000 miles, which in astronomical terms is practically next door. You can watch a live stream of the event below.

“Scientists have always appreciated knowing when an asteroid will make a close approach to and safely pass the Earth because they can make preparations to collect data to characterize and learn as much as possible about it,” Michael Kelley, program scientist at NASA, said in a press release. “This time we are adding in another layer of effort, using this asteroid flyby to test the worldwide asteroid detection and tracking network, assessing our capability to work together in response to finding a potential real asteroid threat.”

It is only about 65 feet long, but for an object that will be come within one-eighth the distance between the moon and the earth, it packs a heavy punch. Travelling at 30,000 mph, a direct impact with any population center would be calamitous. When the Chelyabinsk meteor — similar in size to Asteroid 2012 TC4 — exploded above the Russian city in 2013, it shattered windows in thousands of buildings and injured more than a thousand people.

Damage from the meteor was found at least 30 miles away, The Guardian reported.

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Though tonight's asteroid poses no danger to humans, it presents scientists a valuable opportunity to research near-earth objects. NASA said it will use the opportunity to test its "network of observatories and scientists who work with planetary defense."

“This effort will exercise the entire system, to include the initial and follow-up observations, precise orbit determination, and international communications,” said Professor Vishnu Reddy of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson.

Slooh, an organization that aims to provide people with access to space research tools, is hosting a live stream of the event Wednesday night. Watch it live here:

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images