Updated: NASA Video of Asteroid Near Earth

The last time an asteroid this size passed by our planet, Gerald Ford was president.

On Tuesday, as voters flock to polls, astronomers are flocking to their monitors because the aircraft-carrier sized Asteroid 2005 YU55 is traipsing by, slightly closer than the moon's orbit, according to a press release from

Tracking of the asteroid began in Goldstone, CA, at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. Astronomers used a 230-foot-wide antenna and followed it for about two hours, with an additional four hours of tracking planned each day from Sunday through Thursday.

NASA’s Deep Space Network antenna captured these new radar images of Asteroid 2005 YU55 cruising by Earth. The asteroid was 860,000 miles away. At the point at which it will be closest, it will be 201,700 miles away, as measured from the center of the earth.

Radar observations from the Arecibo Planetary Radar Facility in Puerto Rico will begin Tuesday, the same day the asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 3:28 p.m. PST.

Scientists say the flyby is safe for Earth--the gravitational influence of the asteroid will not be detectable on Earth, such as affecting tides or shifting tectonic plates, nor will the gargantuan space rock slam into the planet.

According to the news release, NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program at JPL, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes some of them, and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to the planet.

JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.