No need to duck, though.

A recently discovered asteroid the size of a house will fly close to Earth on Sunday but won't be a threat to the planet.

The space rock dubbed "2014 RC" will make its closest approach to Earth at 2:18 p.m. EDT (18:18 UTC) on Sept. 7 roughly over New Zealand.

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This weekend's visitor was first discovered near Tucson, Arizona on August 31 by the Catalina Sky Survey, an astronomical project focused in the study of comets and asteroids.

It was also spotted the next night by Telescope 1 of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii.

The two systems submitted their observations to the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts for cataloging. Follow-up observations by the Catalina Sky Survey and the University of Hawaii's 2.2 meter telescope confirmed the asteroid's trajectory.

Astronomers calculate the asteroid is some 20 meters (60 feet) in size based on its reflected brightness. The asteroid will be nearest to the Earth at a distance equivalent to one-tenth the distance from the center of the planet to the moon, or about 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles).

2014 RC isn't a threat because it isn't considered a "potentially hazardous asteroid." 

NASA only classifies as potential hazards those space rocks with diameters between 100 meters to 150 meters (330 feet to 490 feet) that pass within 7,500,000 kilometers (4,600,000 miles) of the Earth's orbit.

The brightness of 2014 RC will be a puny 11.5 at the time of closest approach, which is too small to see by unaided eyes. That said, amateur astronomers with telescopes might detect the near-Earth object.

2014 RC is of high interest since its close approach will give researchers opportunities for astronomical investigations.

To learn more about the trajectory of 2014 RC, see the video created by the astronomical website space.com at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2NeurcqNeA. 

Tags2014 RC, asteroid, NASA