Plane-Sized Asteroid To Fly Past Earth Next Week. Here's What NASA Has To Say

News18

23-07-2025

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The asteroid, which measures around 210 feet long, will fly by on July 28 at a distance of about 393,000 miles
A plane-sized asteroid named 2025 OW is set to pass Earth next week, but NASA experts stress there is no cause for alarm.
The asteroid, which measures around 210 feet long, will fly by on July 28 at a distance of about 393,000 miles — roughly 1.6 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
Despite its size and speed of nearly 47,000 miles per hour, NASA describes the event as routine.
Ian J. O'Neill, media relations specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), told ABC News, 'This is very routine. If there was a threat, you would hear from us. We would always put out alerts on our planetary defense blog."
Davide Farnocchia, an asteroid expert from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), explained that close approaches like this happen regularly in our solar system. 'Close approaches happen all the time — it's just part of the fabric of the solar system," he told the outlet.
NASA tracks several asteroids passing near Earth every week, with five expected next week alone. Although 2025 OW is large enough to attract scientific interest, its orbit is well understood and poses no danger.
'We know exactly where it's going to be. We'll probably know where it's going to be for the next 100 years," O'Neill added.
For those hoping to spot the asteroid, Farnocchia noted that 2025 OW won't be visible through binoculars.
Farnocchia also mentioned that another asteroid, Apophis, will pass within 38,000 kilometres of Earth in 2029 — closer than many of our satellites. Measuring nearly 1,115 feet in length, Apophis will be visible to the naked eye, providing a rare opportunity for public observation.
Based on optical and radar tracking data collected between 2004 and 2012, Apophis is expected to pass Earth at an altitude of around 31,900 kilometres, with a margin of error of about 750 kilometres. This close approach is significant, as Earth's gravity could slightly alter its path, potentially setting it on a trajectory that brings it closer during a future flyby.
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First Published:
July 23, 2025, 23:40 IST
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