It looks like the massive asteroid flying over Earth next week is wearing a face mask

If you plan to visit Earth in 2020, it is important to wear a mask to protect you from the coronavirus. And apparently the rule doesn’t just apply to humans: An asteroid running toward Earth appears to know about the pandemic and sports a face mask of its own.

An asteroid named 52768 (1998 OR2) will be approaching Earth next week. Astronomers at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico are tracking the asteroid, and they couldn’t help but notice a familiar silhouette after capturing a new radar view of the object.

“Small-scale topographic features, such as hills and ridges at one end of the 1998 OR2 asteroid, are scientifically fascinating,” research scientist Anne Virkki said in a press release on Thursday. “But since we’re all thinking about COVID-19, these features make it seem like OR2 1998 remembers wearing a mask.”

But don’t worry: the asteroid has no chance of becoming infected with the virus.

The Arecibo data confirmed that the 1998 OR2 is approximately 1.2 miles wide and rotates approximately once every four hours. Scientists at NASA The Center for Near-Earth Object Studies said it will make its closest approach to Earth on April 29, but that it will still be 16 times farther than the moon, nearly four million miles.

1998 OR2 is classified as a Potentially Dangerous Object, which measures over 500 feet and is 5 million miles from Earth’s orbit. After its discovery, NASA said it is “big enough to cause global effects” if it impacts Earth, but it does not pose a threat to the planet.

And it won’t be the only time that the asteroid visits Earth. And next time, it will come a little closer.

“Radar measurements allow us to know more precisely where the asteroid will be in the future, including its future approaches to Earth,” says Flaviane Venditti, research scientist at the observatory. “In 2079, the 1998 asteroid OR2 will pass Earth about 3.5 times closer than this year, so it is important to know its orbit accurately.”

Arecibo said scientists continue to monitor asteroids for planetary defense purposes, but follow proper social distancing guidelines and wear masks while making observations.