NASA has confirmed that two asteroids are set to make close approaches to Earth on Wednesday, September 3, with one believed to be as large as an aeroplane.
Image used for illustrative purposes/Javier Miranda/Unsplash
The first object, 2025 QV5, is roughly 35 feet wide — about the size of a small bus. It will pass within 500,000 miles of our planet, about twice the distance to the moon, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), as reported by the NY Post.
Travelling at nearly 14,000 mph, the asteroid takes 359 days to orbit the Sun, swinging between Earth and Venus in its unusual path.
While this flyby may sound dramatic, NASA says QV5 is too small to be considered “potentially hazardous.” Even if it entered our atmosphere, most of it would burn up before reaching the ground. Scientists are tracking its return visits in 2026 and 2027, but it won’t come this close again until September 4, 2125.
Joining the show is a second, larger asteroid: 2025 QD8. Measuring around 71 feet across—about the length of an airplane—it will come even closer, passing just 136,000 miles from Earth at 10:57 a.m. EST (16:57) in South Africa) on September 3.
That’s just over half the distance to the moon. Travelling at a swift 28,600 mph, the asteroid will safely sail by, but skywatchers can watch the event live via The Virtual Telescope Project’s YouTube channel.
NASA continues to monitor both space rocks as part of its Near-Earth Object (NEO) program, which tracks asteroids and comets that come within 30 million miles of Earth.
Follow us on social media for more travel news, inspiration, and guides. You can also tag us to be featured.
TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
ALSO READ: SAA launches new route between Johannesburg and Gaborone
