NASA tracking 2 massive asteroids flying past Earth this Sunday
On August 3, NASA will be keeping a close watch as two big asteroids zoom safely past our planet.
No need to worry—both rocks will miss Earth by a wide margin, but their flybys give scientists a rare chance to study ancient space material up close.
OC6 and OW3 will pass by at safe distances
The first asteroid, 2025 OC6, is about the size of a bus (25 feet wide) and will pass by at 1.5 million miles away—more than six times the distance to the Moon.
The second one, 2025 OW3, is even bigger at 64 feet across and will cruise by from 1.8 million miles out.
Both are moving fast: OC6 at over 16100km/h and OW3 at more than 49910km/h.
Asteroids belong to the Apollo group, which cross Earth's orbit
Both asteroids belong to the Apollo group—space rocks that cross Earth's orbit and are thought to be around 4.6 billion years old.
NASA uses radar and telescopes (since you can't see them with your eyes) to track their paths closely.
These encounters help scientists learn more about our solar system's history—and sharpen tools for spotting anything that might come too close in the future.