Plane-sized Asteroid 2025 OW will fly-by at 47,000 mph this week, but NASA scientists say it's nothing new

Time of India

27-07-2025

Not a rare event
Live Events
Will you be able to see it?
What we've learned from past impacts
How scientists monitor space rocks
Apophis in 2029
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
An asteroid roughly the size of a commercial aeroplane is expected to pass Earth on 28 July, according to NASA . The object, known as 2025 OW, is about 210 feet across and will fly by at a distance of approximately 393,000 miles. That's about one and a half times farther than the Moon.NASA's experts are clear: there's nothing to worry about. 'This is very routine,' said Ian J. O'Neill, media relations specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). 'If there was a threat, you would hear from us. We would always put out alerts on our planetary defence blog.'The asteroid is moving at a speed of nearly 47,000 miles per hour. Despite that, its trajectory has been calculated with such accuracy that scientists say they already know its path for the next hundred years.The idea of a fast-moving space rock zipping past Earth sounds dramatic, but it's not unusual. 'Close approaches happen all the time — it's just part of the fabric of the solar system,' said Davide Farnocchia, an asteroid expert at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies ( CNEOS ).NASA keeps track of thousands of near-Earth objects (NEOs), including five currently expected to pass close by next week. Most are far smaller than 2025 OW and travel at much greater distances. While 2025 OW is larger than most, it does not qualify as hazardous. For that, an object needs to be more than 460 feet wide and come within 4.6 million miles of Earth's orbit.Even so, large asteroid impacts are incredibly rare. According to Farnocchia, 'For an object the size of 2025 OW, while close approaches might happen yearly, an actual Earth impact would only occur roughly every 10,000 years.'Not this time. Despite its size and speed, 2025 OW won't be visible without specialist equipment. 'It won't be visible through binoculars,' said Farnocchia.But there's something on the horizon that could be much more dramatic. A much larger asteroid, called 99942 Apophis , will pass significantly closer to Earth in April 2029 — just 38,000 kilometres away. That's closer than some of our satellites.Apophis, which measures over 1,100 feet across, will be visible to the naked eye. For the public, it could be a rare chance to see an asteroid without needing a telescope.Earth is hit by around 100 tons of space dust and small debris every day. It's mostly harmless and burns up in the atmosphere. Larger strikes are rare but not impossible.The most recent example happened in 2013, when a 20-metre asteroid exploded above Chelyabinsk in Russia. It caused injuries and property damage. Events of that scale happen once every 60 to 80 years. The Tunguska explosion in 1908, caused by an asteroid possibly between 160 and 200 feet wide, flattened trees across over 2,000 square kilometres of Siberian forest. That type of event is expected only once every 200 to 300 years.In terms of size, 2025 OW is in that same range. But unlike the Tunguska asteroid, we know exactly where 2025 OW is going — and it's not Earth.NASA's tracking capabilities have come a long way. Astronomers rely on a global network of telescopes, with data sent to the Minor Planet Center, the organisation responsible for collecting information on small solar system bodies.NASA's CNEOS uses that data to model orbits and predict flybys, often years or even decades in advance. There are currently over 30,000 recognised NEOs, out of more than 1.1 million known asteroids in our solar system.New tools are also being developed. NASA's NEO Surveyor mission, along with the European Space Agency's NEOMIR and the Vera Rubin Observatory, aim to spot more asteroids, especially those that approach from the direction of the Sun — a known blind spot for many Earth-based telescopes.The big event on the calendar is Apophis in 2029. Originally discovered in 2004, early models gave it a slim chance of hitting Earth. But after years of observations, scientists have ruled out any impact for at least the next century.'Apophis will come within 38,000 kilometres of Earth in April 2029 — closer than our geostationary satellites,' Farnocchia confirmed.Its close pass is expected to give scientists a rare chance to study the effects of Earth's gravity on the asteroid's orbit. Some models suggest that this flyby could slightly alter its path, but not enough to pose any danger in future passes.2025 OW will pass silently and safely. There will be no light show, no debris, and no need to prepare for impact. But it's a timely reminder of the constant motion above our heads, and the systems in place to monitor it.NASA's experts continue to keep watch, not because of 2025 OW, but because one day, a different object might be worth worrying about. Until then, we observe, we prepare, and we learn.