Asteroid that could wipe out a city is near, but don’t fear

An asteroid big enough to wipe out a city will zip harmlessly between Earth and the moon’s orbit this weekend, missing both celestial bodies. Saturday’s close encounter will offer astronomers the chance to study a space rock from just over 100,000 miles (168,000 kilometers) away. That’s less than half the distance from here to the moon, making it visible through binoculars and small telescopes. While asteroid flybys are common, NASA said it’s rare for one so big to come so close — about once a decade.

tips

asteroid：小行星

zip：n. 拉链；v. 拉上拉链；快速移动

celestial：天的

celetial body：天体

encounter：相会，遭遇；偶见

astronomer：天体学家

rock：岩石；摇滚

binocular：双筒望远镜