Well Hello There, Asteroid 2004 BL86!
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA is reporting that an asteroid named 2004 BL86 will be passing very closely to the earth today. The asteroid, reportedly a half a kilometer wide, will come within 745,000 miles of us. It won't come that close again for another 200 years. While it won't be visible with the naked eye this evening, you should be able to see it with a good telescope or strong binoculars.
If you're interested in learning more about asteroids and other outer space objects, MPL is the place for you! We have books on asteroids, comets, stars, planets and all aspects of astronomy for young and old.
And if the thought of an asteroid zipping by us has you craving a disaster movie, there's always this.