NASA has confirmed that an asteroid, 2025 FA22, is set to zip past Earth on September 18, 2025. The rare cosmic event is being tracked by NASA’s Centre for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) and JPL. Discovered by the Pan-STARRS 2 Survey in Hawaii earlier this year, FA22 has attracted international and Indian public attention due to its impressive size, estimated to be between 120 and 280 meters.
According to a report in India Today, asteroid 2025 FA22’s size is estimated to be nearly twice the size of the famous Qutub Minar in Delhi, which rises approximately 73 meters. At its maximum estimated size, the asteroid would be nearly four times larger than the monument, making it an enormous object by cosmic standards.
The asteroid FA22 travels in a moderately elongated and slightly tilted orbit around the sun, completing one revolution in about 1.85 years. NASA has confirmed that this asteroid will pass Earth at a distance of roughly 8,42,000 kilometres on September 18, which is a little more than twice the distance to the moon.
A low Torino Scale rating indicates no immediate threats
While using radar and powerful optical telescopes, International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) groups decided to use this cosmic event to refine FA22’s orbit and study its composition. Amid rising concern over a potentially hazardous asteroid which has drawn attention, experts stress that FA22 poses no collision threat to Earth in the foreseeable future.
Earlier, the experts gave a low Torino Scale rating in terms of risk, but further data indicated no immediate threats for Earth in its close encounter, as it will be safely beyond the Moon’s orbit.
Asteroids of this scale and closeness approach Earth only once or twice in a decade, making FA22 a rare and valuable subject of study. The detailed observations during its flyby are expected to enhance future impact predictions and broaden knowledge about similar celestial bodies.