ESA Confirms No Risk as Giant Asteroid Makes Close Approach to Earth
By: Israel Adeleke
A massive near-Earth asteroid, designated 2025 FA22, is set to make a safe but unusually close pass by Earth on Thursday, September 18, astronomers have confirmed.
OTN News further reports that the asteroid, measuring between 120 and 280 meters in diameter, roughly the size of two football fields, will fly past at a distance of about 523,000 miles (842,000 kilometers). This is more than twice the distance between Earth and the Moon, according to a report by Forbes on Tuesday.
Astronomers say such a close approach by an asteroid of this size occurs on average only once every decade.
“While this is an absolutely safe approach, it is still remarkable: a similarly close encounter, involving an object of that size coming that close, happens on average one time every 10 years,” said Gianluca Masi, astronomer at The Virtual Telescope Project.
The asteroid was discovered in March 2025 by the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope. Initially, 2025 FA22 was listed as a potential impact risk for 2089, but it was later removed from the European Space Agency (ESA) Risk List after improved orbital calculations.
ESA confirmed that at its nearest point, the asteroid will still remain “just over twice as far away as the Moon.”
While there is no danger from the flyby, scientists note that if an asteroid of this size were ever to strike Earth, it could create a crater measuring about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide.
Between September 18 and 22, 2025 FA22 will reach a brightness of magnitude 13.2, making it visible through small backyard telescopes.
To allow global audiences to witness the event, including viewers in Nigeria, The Virtual Telescope Project will host a free livestream from Tuscany, Italy, beginning at 03:00 UTC on September 18.
“This event offers a rare opportunity to observe a large near-Earth object safely while highlighting the importance of monitoring potentially hazardous asteroids,” Masi added.
What's Your Reaction?
