An Asteroid Will Fly Close to Earth Later This Month

On January 26, an asteroid one-third of a mile in size will pass safely by the Earth.
Designated 2004 BL86 (it could use a nickname), NASA says the asteroid will fly past the earth at "about three times the distance of Earth to the moon." That's about 745,000 miles from our planet.

"Monday, January 26 will be the closest asteroid 2004 BL86 will get to Earth for at least the next 200 years," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office. "And while it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it's a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more."
NASA expects the asteroid to be observable by "amateur astronomers" with home telescopes and binoculars.
2004 BL86's flyby will be the closest by such a large object until 1999 AN10 passes Earth in 2027. Mark those calendars, everyone.