Skyscraper-sized asteroid to pass near Earth at 24,000 mph; no immediate threat, agencies say
NASA and ESA say 2025 FA22, estimated 427 to 951 feet across, will fly by without collision risk; close approach offers a rare study opportunity
A massive asteroid roughly the size of a skyscraper is on track to pass near Earth in the early hours of Sept. 18, traveling at more than 24,000 miles per hour.
The object, formally designated 2025 FA22, will skim past Earth at a distance scientists say poses no immediate threat. NASA and the European Space Agency have updated measurements to remove the collision risk, and the asteroid has been taken off the risk table. The agencies note that a body of this size and speed could cause devastating consequences if it struck Earth.
Size estimates place 2025 FA22 at about 427 to 951 feet across, roughly the size of a large skyscraper. Observers will not see it with the naked eye; it would appear as a faint point through powerful telescopes or binoculars around 3:40 a.m. ET on Sept. 18. Future close approaches are predicted for 2089 and 2173.
Astronomers first detected 2025 FA22 in March with a telescope in Hawaii; it was added to ESA's watch list of potentially dangerous asteroids. NASA's Asteroid Watch tracks more than 1.3 million objects in the solar system, with more than 30,000 classified as near-Earth objects. Objects larger than about 492 feet that pass within 4.6 million miles of Earth earn a potentially hazardous designation, a label updated as measurements improve.
While the Sept. 18 approach will be a rare opportunity to study a skyscraper-sized asteroid up close, scientists emphasize that there is no current threat to Earth. The event underscores ongoing international efforts to track near-Earth objects and refine orbital models.
The broader context includes missions such as DART, which demonstrated that a spacecraft can alter an asteroid's trajectory. Dimorphos, the moonlet tested in that mission, is shown in this image to illustrate the type of target objects researchers study in planetary defense research.
For observers, the light will be faint and not visible to casual stargazers; the window for observation depends on local conditions and telescope capability. The Sept. 18 pass will be monitored by ground-based observatories around the world, with data shared to refine models of how such objects move through the inner solar system.
As NASA and ESA continue to refine orbital data, the 2025 FA22 event underscores the ongoing effort to catalog near-Earth objects and understand their potential hazards. Scientists say there is value in observing large asteroid close approaches to improve knowledge of composition, structure, and trajectories, and to test readiness for future mitigation missions.