Nasa Tracks Plane-Sized Asteroid Speeding Toward Earth At 47,000 Mph
NASA Monitors Plane-Sized Asteroid Approaching Earth at 47,000 Mph
NASA has announced that asteroid 2025 OW, which measures approximately 220 feet in length—similar to the size of an airplane—will safely pass by Earth on Monday, July 28. Although media headlines may provoke anxiety, scientists clarify that this is a “routine” event.
Traveling at a speed of 46,908 miles per hour, the asteroid will come within 390,000 miles of Earth, which is about 1.6 times the distance to the Moon. NASA reassures the public that there is no danger, and this occurrence falls well within the expected range of cosmic activity.
“This is very routine,” stated Ian O’Neill from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “If there were any threat, you would hear from us.” NASA consistently monitors space debris and would communicate any potential hazards through its planetary defense blog if necessary.
Davide Farnocchia, from NASA’s Near-Earth Object Studies division, remarked that such close encounters are frequent. “It’s just part of the fabric of the solar system,” he explained, noting that his team tracks numerous near-Earth objects on a weekly basis.
The orbit of 2025 OW is well-documented, and NASA has an accurate prediction of its trajectory for at least the next century. Unfortunately, due to its size and distance, it will not be observable with binoculars or amateur telescopes.
Nevertheless, a more significant event is approaching: asteroid Apophis is set to pass within just 20,000 miles of Earth in April 2029—closer than some satellites. Initially thought to be a potential threat, Apophis is now confirmed to be safe for at least the next hundred years.
Near-Earth objects are defined as asteroids or comets that come within 120 million miles of the Sun. While most of these objects are small, NASA diligently tracks them to improve their orbital predictions over time.