The Largest Asteroid to Make Close Pass by Earth on May 27: How to Watch

According to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), an asteroid four times the size of the Empire State Building will approach Earth on Friday.

You Don't Have To Fear the Asteroid

Live Science, however, noted that you don't have to be afraid because the asteroid, dubbed 7335 (1989 JA), will pass Earth by at a distance of roughly 2.5 million miles (4 million kilometers), or nearly 10 times the usual distance between Earth and the moon.

NASA said that asteroid 7335 (1989 JA) will make the closest point to Earth this year. According to scientists, the asteroid is traveling at a speed of roughly 47,200 mph (76,000 km/h), which is 20 times quicker than a bullet.

Despite the asteroid's massive size (1.1 miles or 1.8 kilometers in diameter) and close proximity to Earth, NASA has classified it as "potentially hazardous," indicating it might cause massive harm to our planet if its orbit changes and it collides with it.

The rock won't make another near flyby until June 23, 2055, when it will pass even farther to Earth than this one, or within 70 times the distance between Earth and moon.

Where Can You Watch the Asteroid on May 27?

CNET reported that at 7:26 a.m. PT on Friday, the distance between this space rock and us will be the shortest, yet it will still be 10 times farther away than the moon.

Despite being four times the size of the Empire State Building, the celestial body isn't big enough or close enough to see with the naked eye, but it could be seen with a good telescope and an app like Stellarium.

But the good news is, even if you don't have the equipment or the desire to see this heavenly body for yourself, the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy will be hosting an online viewing party, which you may join via the broadcast below.

NASA Monitors Near-Earth Objects Like This Asteroid

This asteroid is one of more than 29,000 near-Earth objects (NEOs) that NASA monitors each year. According to NASA, a NEO is any celestial object that travels within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of Earth's orbit, as per Live Science.

7335 (1989 JA) also belongs to the Apollo-class of asteroids, which are asteroids that orbit the sun while periodically crossing Earth's orbit. Astronomers have discovered about 15,000 asteroids of this sort.

Does NASA Have Any Preparations if a Huge Celestial Body Is Discovered That Could Endanger Earth?

NASA keeps a careful eye on NEOs like this one and just launched a mission to see if potentially dangerous asteroids could be diverted from colliding with Earth in the future. NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission in November 2021, which will smash head-on with the 525-foot-wide (160-meter) Dimorphos asteroid in autumn 2022. The asteroid will not be destroyed by the collision, but it will shift its orbital path slightly, Live Science reported.