--- description: An asteroid called 3200 Phaethon will make its closest pass of Earth in 45 years on Saturday. Here's how to see 3200 Phaethon title: A Huge Asteroid Will Pass Earth Tonight. Here's How to Watch image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt287c819c782f235a/6988f560cf40a824efc4aa11/3200-phaethon.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Space](/tag/space/) ## Space Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A 3-Mile-Wide 'Potentially Hazardous' Asteroid Will Fly by Earth on Saturday. Here's How to Watch  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Dec 16, 2017 3:24 PM CUT  Telescope. Telescope.Sawitree Pamee / EyeEm—Getty Images/EyeEm  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Dec 16, 2017 3:24 PM CUT If you caught the [Geminid meteor shower](http://time.com/5060773/geminid-meteor-shower-best-time-watch/ "undefined") earlier this week, stay tuned for another celestial phenomena on Saturday night: 3200 Phaethon. On Dec. 16, a three-mile-wide asteroid called 3200 Phaethon will make its closest pass of Earth in at least 45 years, coming with 6.4 million miles of our planet, [according to NASA estimates](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3200;cad=1;old=0;orb=0;cov=0;log=0#cad "undefined"). The asteroid orbits Earth every 523 days, [according to Space.com](https://www.space.com/39047-asteroid-3200-phaethon-close-brush-with-earth.html "undefined"), coming within varying distances of the planet each time. While 3200 Phaethon does skim past Earth closely enough to earn a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid label from NASA — which the agency says “does not mean a PHA will impact the Earth,” only that there’s the “possibility” of it happening someday — it’s likely nothing to worry about, Boston University astronomy professor Michael Mendillo [said in an interview with TIME](http://time.com/5039623/3-mile-wide-asteroid-3200-phaethon/ "undefined"). “This object appears to be, at the moment, in a very stable orbit. It’s very predictable. If no other mass comes close to it, those predictions will be accurate for thousands of years,” he said. In fact, 3200 Phaethon — which is responsible for the Geminid meteor shower — provides an interesting opportunity for amateur astronomers. Though it won’t be visible to the naked eye, you may be able to catch a glimpse with a personal telescope when it passes by Earth on Saturday. It will be visible for weeks, but [EarthSky says](http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/3200-phaethon-rock-comet-how-to-see "undefined") that the peak viewing time will be Saturday at 22 UTC, or 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5067583/3200-phaethon-3-mile-long-asteroid/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5067583/3200-phaethon-3-mile-long-asteroid/"},"headline":"A 3-Mile-Wide 'Potentially Hazardous' Asteroid Will Fly by Earth on Saturday. 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