A bus-size asteroid, designated as 2025 QV5, is on a trajectory to zoom past Earth tomorrow, September 3. This cosmic visitor was first detected just over a week ago on August 24, and it will not come this close to our planet again until September 4, 2125 — a span of nearly 100 years to the day.
The asteroid measures approximately 35 feet (11 meters) in diameter, roughly equivalent to the length of a typical school bus. Traveling at a staggering speed of over 13,900 mph (22,400 km/h), the asteroid is monitored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) through its Asteroid Watch program.
During its close approach on Wednesday, 2025 QV5 will pass within 500,000 miles (805,000 kilometers) of Earth. This distance is roughly twice as far away as the moon, according to data from JPL’s Small-Body Database Lookup.
Asteroid 2025 QV5 follows a nearly circular orbit around the sun, completing a full revolution every 359.4 days. Its path takes it between the orbits of Earth and Venus, where gravitational interactions subtly pull it from side to side. Due to its orbital characteristics, the asteroid is unlikely to collide with Earth. Even in the unlikely event of a collision, its relatively small size means it would not be classified as potentially hazardous. Most of its material would likely disintegrate upon entering our atmosphere.
Despite its small size and low risk, scientists are eager to gather more information about this intriguing space rock. Asteroid 2025 QV5 has been designated as a target for NASA's Goldstone radar telescope in Barstow, California. This facility specializes in tracking and imaging near-Earth asteroids, and it will conduct observations of 2025 QV5 in the coming days.
Asteroid 2025 QV5 is expected to make several more close approaches to Earth over the next century, with notable flybys in 2026 and 2027. However, these future encounters will occur at significantly greater distances. For instance, next year, it is projected to come within 3.3 million miles (5.3 million km), and in 2027, it will be three times further away during its pass.
The next time 2025 QV5 will come close to Earth again will be on September 4, 2125, when it will reach a distance of approximately 830,000 miles (1.3 million km) from our planet — a remarkable cosmic coincidence occurring nearly 100 years after this current flyby.
It is important to note that the future trajectory and distance of 2025 QV5 are not set in stone. As researchers continue to gather data on the asteroid’s movements, they may refine its orbital trajectory, which could alter the predicted timing of its future returns. For example, the potential city-killer asteroid 2024 YR4 was previously estimated to have a chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but as more observations were made, the odds were eventually reduced to zero.
In summary, while asteroid 2025 QV5 poses no threat to Earth, its upcoming close approach offers a valuable opportunity for scientists to learn more about near-Earth objects and their behaviors.
