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Sometime today, Earth is going to get cozy with an asteroid, the size of a modern aircraft carrier.

The 70-metre (230-foot) Goldstone antenna, located near Barstow, Calif., will be used to track the flyby of Asteroid 2005 YU55 today. The last time a space rock this big got this close was in 1976. This asteroid, 2005 YU55, will actually pass closer to the Earth than the moon, at about 0.85 the moon’s orbit.

[This] particular asteroid is small enough that it will have no impact on the Earth whatsoever. “We’d be concerned if it hit us or if it came within our atmosphere,” Edwards says. “I’ve seen some rumours that it will cause extra tides. Four hundred metres sounds big, but if it is compared to the size of the moon, it is very small. It will have no noticeable effect on us. It’s not going to cause crazy tides or anything like that. It’s just too small.”

Small or not, this asteroid holds a particular interest for scientists. Edwards says it is quite rare for larger asteroids to get this close to Earth. The last one was 35 years ago and the next isn’t expected until 2028. Read more here.