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An asteroid as large as two football fields placed end to end will make a near pass by Earth on Thursday, September 18.

As per a report from Forbes, scientists state that the flyby will be entirely safe when occurring at a distance of 523,000 miles (842,000 kilometers), which is roughly double the typical Earth-Moon distance.

The asteroid, called 2025 FA22, has a diameter of 530 feet (158 meters). JPL categorizes it as a “potentially hazardous object” on its Next Five Asteroid Approaches website.

“Although this is an entirely safe method, it is still impressive: a similar close approach, with an object of that size coming so near, occurs on average once every 10 years,” stated astronomer Gianluca Masi from The Virtual Telescope Project, in an email, referring to the JPL Center for NEO Studies.

The European Space Agency mentioned that 2025 FA22 was identified in March with the help of the Pan-STARRS 2 telescope. Early measurements indicated it might collide with Earth in 2089, which put it at the top of ESA’s Risk List. It was subsequently taken off the list in May following updated calculations of its trajectory based on additional data.

As per the Earth Impact Effects Program calculator, created by Imperial College in London, a rocky asteroid of this size might form a crater 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) in diameter.

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From September 18 to 22, the asteroid will have a brightness of magnitude 13.2, making it visible with small backyard telescopes. The Virtual Telescope Project will provide live video feeds from robotic telescopes located in Manciano, Tuscany, Italy, during an online viewing session on September 18 at 03:00 UTC (which is 10 p.m. EST on September 17).

The flyby occurs alongside other astronomical phenomena. On the same morning, a crescent moon will be visible above Venus before dawn, with the luminous star Regulus in Leo nearby. A day later, Venus and Regulus will be even nearer, as part of a diminishing planetary procession that also features Jupiter and Saturn.

Saturn will appear brighter as it reaches its annual opposition on September 21, when it rises at sunset and sets at sunrise. This day also coincides with a new moon, resulting in a solar eclipse visible only in New Zealand, Antarctica, and some areas of the western South Pacific at sunrise.

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