Toutatis asteroid live video: 4179 Toutatis to fly near Earth tonight, watch it live from Slooh

Asteroid DA 14 will make one of the closest passes to Earth ever observed by modern science, NASA says.
Photographer: P.Carril / ESA
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Posted: 12/11/2012

By: Maxim Alter, WPTV

Is it the end of the world as we know it?

No. Not yet at least. But an asteroid will fly near Earth over the next few days, and you can watch it live on your computer.

The asteroid is called 4179 Toutatis, and it's about three miles wide.

According to Space.com, 4179 Toutatis will within 4.3 million miles of Earth during its closest approach early Wednesday morning.

4.3 million miles sounds like a lot, but it's actually close enough for you to catch a glimpse of the asteroid using a good telescope -- or if you're cheap -- on your computer.

The online Slooh Space Camera and Virtual Telescope Project will stream the asteroid's passing live.

Space.com reports Slooh will webcast Toutatis views from a scope in the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa beginning at 3 p.m. EST on Dec. 11. You can watch them at http://www.slooh.com .

For more information, read Space.com's full report .