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Today, two large asteroids are expected to pass by Earth at speeds up to 28,000 mph, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The asteroids, named 2025 QB5 and 2025 QK3, will come within about 2.81 million miles of our planet on August 26. They’ll be followed by a smaller asteroid, 2025 QB3, which is approximately house-sized.
On the following day, two more large asteroids—2025 QC1 and 2025 PM2—are anticipated to pass Earth at similar distances.
Why It Matters
Around once per year, an asteroid as big as a car hits Earth’s atmosphere before burning up. Larger space rocks are less common. NASA estimates that every 2,000 years, a football field-sized meteoroid strikes the Earth and causes significant damage.
What You Need to Know
According to NASA data, 2025 QB5 will approach within about 2.79 million miles of Earth at 10,668 mph on August 26. It is estimated to be around 80 feet in size.
The larger asteroid, 2025 QK3 (about 120 feet), will pass Earth at a speed of about 28,457 mph within 2.81 million miles on August 26.
On the same day, the smallest of these asteroids, 2025 QB3 (around 65 feet wide), is expected to come within approximately 4.5 million miles at a speed of about 15,739 mph.
The next day, 2025 QC1 will pass by Earth about 1 million miles away and 2025 PM2 will be around 2.31 million miles from the planet.
An object large enough to threaten Earth’s civilization comes along once every few million years. NASA estimates that anything larger than one to two kilometers could have a global impact.
NASA defines an object larger than about 150 meters approaching within 4.6 million miles as a potentially hazardous object. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is roughly 239,000 miles.
The largest known potentially hazardous asteroid, Toutatis (5.4 kilometers in diameter), passed 4.3 million miles from Earth on December 12, 2014. It will next pass this close in November 2069, traveling about 1.8 million miles from Earth. NASA says there is zero chance of impact over the next four centuries.
What People Are Saying
According to NASA’s website: “Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Most asteroids orbit between Mars and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt. They range in size from Vesta—the largest at around 329 miles (530 kilometers)—to bodies less than 33 feet (10 meters) across. The total mass of all asteroids combined is less than that of Earth’s Moon.”
What Happens Next
The Planetary Defense Coordination Office manages NASA’s ongoing mission to find, track, and better understand asteroids.
