Comet will be one of closest to Earth ever

The third closest flyby ever of Earth by a comet will happen on Tuesday.  A comet, with the not so romantic name P/2016 BA14, will pass by Earth at a distance of about 2.2. million miles.  That is considered a "safe distance" by NASA.

This will be the third closest flyby of a comet in recorded history next to comet D/1770 L1 (Lexell) in 1770 and comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock) in 1983.

It was discovered on Jan. 22, 2016, by the University of Hawaii's PanSTARRS telescope on Haleakala, on the island of Maui.  It was initially thought to be an asteroid, but follow-up observations by a University of Maryland and Lowell Observatory team with the Discovery Channel Telescope showed a faint tail, revealing that the discovery was, in fact, a comet.

The time of closest approach for for the comet will be around 10:30 a.m. EDT. While it will fly past at a relatively close distance, anyone hoping to see it will need powerful, professional-grade telescope, due to its relatively small size.

The approach of the comet will be the closest it is to the planet for the next 150 years.

"Comet P/2016 BA14 is not a threat. Instead, it is an excellent opportunity for scientific advancement on the study of comets," Paul Chodas of NASA Center of NEO Studies says.