Asteroid security

'Lost' asteroid the size of the Statue of Liberty to buzz by Earth Tuesday

An asteroid the size of New York City's Statue of Liberty is expected to buzz by Earth Tuesday, and this time, scientists are ready and waiting.

At its closest point, the asteroid – called 2010 WC9 – will be roughly 126,000 miles from earth, about half the distance between Earth and the moon at approximately 6:05 ET, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

The estimated diameter of the asteroid ranges from 197 to 427 feet, making this "pass one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size," EarthSky reports.

That's nothing compared to asteroids that make up the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which can measure to about 580 miles across, NASA explains on its website. Those asteroids, however, pose no threat to Earth.