An asteroid the size of two football fields end-to-end will have a relatively close encounter with Earth on Thursday, Sept. 18.
According to scientists, in a report by Forbes, the flyby will be perfectly safe at a distance of 523,000 miles (842,000 kilometers), about twice the average Earth-moon distance.
The asteroid, named 2025 FA22, measures 530 feet (158 meters) in diameter. JPL lists it as a "potentially hazardous object" on its Next Five Asteroid Approaches web page.
"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 astronomer Gianluca Masi at The Virtual Telescope Project, in an email, referencing the JPL Center for NEO Studies.
The European Space Agency said 2025 FA22 was discovered in March using the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope. Initial observations suggested it could impact Earth in 2089, placing it at the top of ESA's Risk List. It was later removed in May after recalculations of its orbit using follow-up data.
According to the Earth Impact Effects Program calculator, developed by Imperial College in London, a stony asteroid of this size could create a crater 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide.
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Between Sept. 18 and 22, the asteroid will reach magnitude 13.2, bright enough to be spotted with small backyard telescopes. The Virtual Telescope Project will stream live images from robotic telescopes in Manciano, Tuscany, Italy, during an online observation on Sept. 18 at 03:00 UTC (Sept. 17 at 10 p.m. EST).
The flyby coincides with other celestial events. On the same morning, a crescent moon will appear above Venus before sunrise, with the bright star Regulus in Leo nearby. A day later, Venus and Regulus will appear even closer, part of a fading planet parade that also includes Jupiter and Saturn.