(Pasadena, CA) -- An asteroid the size of a bus will whiz past the Earth today. Astronomers say the 40-foot space rock will pass within 56-thousand miles of Earth, which is a safe distance but still considered extremely close by celestial standards. The flyby will be livestreamed this afternoon by the Virtual Telescope Project, starting at 4pm Eastern. The asteroid circles the sun about every six years, and is too small to be considered "potentially hazardous" by NASA