Asteroid as big as an airplane to pass earth: Here's when and if you can see it
But before you grab your flashlight and bunker gear, take some deep breaths. NASA says this is completely routine. Even though the rock is big enough to get attention, it poses absolutely no threat to Earth.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) stress that fast-moving space rocks are just part of everyday life in the solar system. 'Close approaches happen all the time,' NASA's media specialist Ian J.
O'Neill told ABC News, 'and if there was any threat, you'd hear about it clearly from us.'
So yes, the asteroid is big—but its orbit is mapped out with precision, and scientists know exactly where it's going to be for the next century. In short: no surprises, no panic, just routine monitoring.
Can you see it? Not this time
Curious to catch a glimpse of 2025 OW through binoculars or a telescope? Don't bother. According to Davide Farnocchia, an asteroid expert at NASA, it won't be visible to the naked eye or standard backyard gear. But the stage is set for a much cooler spectacle coming in 2029, when asteroid Apophis makes an even closer pass—close enough to be visible from Earth without equipment
Just how often do asteroids come close?
A lot more than you'd think.
Smaller rocks and space dust—about 100 tons daily—hit Earth harmlessly as they burn up in the atmosphere. Larger asteroids, like 2025 OW, pass near Earth every few years, but Earth impacts of that size happen roughly once every 10,000 years.
For real danger to become a concern, the object would have to be at least 460 feet wide and close enough to cross Earth's orbit in a risky way. 2025 OW doesn't tick those boxes, even though it's bigger than 150 feet
What's next after 2025 OW? Apophis 2029
The next head-turner in asteroid news is 99942 Apophis, due to zoom past Earth in April 2029, at just 38,000 km—which is closer than geostationary satellites.
It's about 1,100 feet wide, and early predictions of possible impact have since been ruled out for at least the next century, according to NASA.
"Asteroid Apophis will safely pass close to Earth on April 13, 2029," NASA says.
Monitoring asteroids like 2025 OW is part of NASA's planetary defense mission—basically an early-warning radar for killer space rocks. Even if most asteroids pose zero risk, the idea is to catch potential threats before they get close, so we can plan mitigation—think spacecraft diversion or evacuation strategies. When objects like
YR4
or Apophis show up, scientists run simulations, refine orbits, and assess risk over years.
So yes, a plane-sized asteroid is cruising by Earth on July 28th, but there's no cause for alarm. Space is busy with close calls all the time—most of which we don't even feel or notice. NASA's tracking programs give us peace of mind—and a reason to stay excited about cosmic neighbors we never see.
Keep an eye on the headlines for 2029's Apophis, which might actually put on a visible-light show. And don't sweat 2025 OW—it's a friendly reminder of our ongoing lunar and planetary watchdog operations.
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Sam Nunn, D-Ga., intervened on Coca-Cola's behalf, Beggs wrote in a letter to the senator that the agency had "a policy of avoiding, wherever possible, the use of the NASA reputation and name to endorse a product sold to the general public." That opened the door for PepsiCo. Four days after Coca-Cola completed its deal with NASA, PepsiCo signed an identical agreement. After all of that effort, PepsiCo's containers would be sitting next to Coca-Cola's on the same shuttle. The July flight was designated STS-51F, and would use the shuttle Challenger to get to orbit. Its crew of seven had a mix of impressive credentials and experience. They were going to orbit to conduct serious experiments in solar physics, astronomy and atmospheric science. The busy schedule would have the crew members working alternating 12-hour shifts to maximize what they could achieve in orbit. And sandwiched between all that science, they would test the first cola in space. "We didn't want to be in a position where we could say we like the Coke better than the Pepsi or the Pepsi better than the Coke," England said of the astronauts. To avoid the question of preference, they split the test between two teams. One would test the Coke container and the other would test the Pepsi container. No one would test both. When it came time to launch, PepsiCo officials were celebratory, handing out T-shirts to NASA staff members with their project's slogan: "One giant sip for mankind." After a scrubbed launch attempt, the flight got off the ground on July 29, 1985. Things did not go as planned. Five minutes after liftoff, Challenger's center engine automatically cut off. The temperature sensors meant to protect the engine from catastrophically overheating had failed. The least risky option to keep the crew safe was a maneuver known as "abort to orbit," which would put the flight at a lower altitude than planned. The already busy mission became more of a scramble. Timings and positions had to be recalculated for the lower orbit. Messages flew between mission control and the shuttle. For all the hurried adjusting, the cola test never dropped off the schedule. "They wanted to get it over with, not carry that one on another mission," England said of NASA. A number of hours into the flight, orbiting more than 100 miles above Earth, the astronauts, some sick from weightlessness, drank the first soda in space. To recognize Coca-Cola's initiative in starting the project, the astronauts tested the company's container first, pushing a button to spray the soda in their mouths. It was warm and sometimes frothy, but recognizably Coke, ending with a slight metallic taste from the dispensing mechanism. Hours later, astronauts on the other shift tested the Pepsi cans. Coke's honor as the first cola in space was a Pyrrhic victory, one that NASA instructed the crew not to discuss with the ground while they were in space. Once the shuttle landed, the cola companies sniped at each other. "We consider ourselves the leader in the industry," a Coca-Cola spokesperson crowed. A PepsiCo spokesperson retorted that if the astronauts had tasted Coke first, "you can be sure they had to wash it down with a Pepsi." But the shuttle's harrowing launch dominated the news, overshadowing the companies' swipes. For all the political combat leading up to the flight, the cola test was largely ignored by those involved. A NASA webpage on the mission refers ambiguously to "technology research." Coca-Cola mentions its plaudit as being the first cola in space, and its subsequent orbital soft drink research in the 1990s, only sparingly. PepsiCo refers to the event briefly in a historical timeline. And in the 40 years since the soft drink space race, carbonated beverages have never found a regular place on the NASA menu. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
