Giant asteroid, once forecasted to collide with Earth in six decades, will instead fly closest to our planet on September 18, with a live viewing opportunity available
The asteroid 2025 FA22, discovered in March, is set to make a close approach to Earth this week, offering a unique opportunity for astronomers and stargazers alike. Here's what you need to know about this cosmic event.
This asteroid, large enough to potentially wipe out a major city if it were to collide with Earth, will be traveling at an impressive speed of around 24,000 mph (38,600 km/h) during its close approach. It is estimated to be between 427 and 951 feet (130 and 290 meters) in size.
Researchers from around the world, including those at NASA's Goldstone radar telescope in Barstow, California, will be monitoring the asteroid's movements. The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) is also using this flyby as an opportunity to practice emergency protocols, running a mock test named the 2025 FA22 IAWN Campaign. This campaign involves measuring as many of the asteroid's characteristics as accurately as possible, in preparation for a hypothetical mission to deflect the space rock in the future.
The Virtual Telescope Project will livestream the asteroid's close approach, starting at around 23:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (Sept. 17). If you have a decent backyard telescope or a pair of stargazing binoculars, you might even be able to catch a glimpse of the asteroid during its close approach. The asteroid's location in the night sky can be found using TheSkyLive.com.
Initially, the asteroid was temporarily at the top of the European Space Agency's (ESA's) impact risk list. However, new observations have ruled out any impact risk in 2089, when the asteroid will only come within 3.7 million miles (6 million km) or about 25 AE from Earth, more than seven times further away than its current flyby.
For those interested in the precise details of the asteroid's path, it's recommended to refer to current astronomical databases or updates. Distances from celestial bodies to Earth are often expressed in astronomical units (AE) or kilometers. One AE is approximately 149.6 million kilometers and is commonly used to express distances between celestial bodies within the solar system.
Finally, the asteroid will reach its minimum distance to Earth on Thursday (Sept. 18), coming within 520,000 miles (835,000 kilometers) or about 3.5 AE of our planet. This close approach marks a significant milestone in our understanding of near-Earth objects and our ability to predict and prepare for potential future encounters.
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