Bus-Sized Asteroid to Make Close Flyby of Earth
A newly discovered asteroid the size of a bus is set to make a close approach to Earth tonight, passing within lunar distance just days after astronomers first spotted it .
Key Details of the Flyby
No Risk to Earth
Despite its close approach—actually closer than the average Moon distance of 239,000 miles—NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) confirms that asteroid 2026 EG1 poses absolutely no threat to our planet . The space rock will zip silently beneath Antarctica during its pass .
The asteroid follows a 655-day elliptical orbit around the Sun, ranging from inside Earth’s orbit to well beyond Mars . Its next close approach won’t occur until September 13, 2186, when it will pass approximately 7.5 million miles from Mars .
One of Thousands Tracked by NASA
2026 EG1 is just one of over 41,000 near-Earth asteroids currently being monitored by NASA and its global partners . This number is expected to grow significantly thanks to advanced facilities like the Vera Rubin Observatory, which has already discovered 2,000 previously unknown solar system objects with its initial dataset .
NASA’s CNEOS has predicted that no major asteroid strikes capable of causing serious damage will occur on our planet in the next 100 years . However, space agencies continue developing planetary defense strategies, including conducting mock impact scenarios and executing groundbreaking asteroid redirect missions to prepare for any potential future threats .
