Massive asteroid bigger than the Eiffel Tower to zoom past Earth this weekend: Time, distance, and here's how to watch
Massive asteroid 1997 NC1 set for close approach in late June How astronomers have tracked it since 1997 How to watch the asteroid flyby through
Massive asteroid 1997 NC1 set for close approach in late June How astronomers have tracked it since 1997 How to watch the asteroid flyby through a livestream online Asteroid visibility quick tips Timing, sky position and the moon’s interference The asteroid that’s set to drift past Earth this weekend is not the kind of object that usually catches public attention, even in astronomical circles where near-Earth flybys are fairly routine. Still, there are moments when the numbers line up in a way that makes people look twice. A rocky body several times taller than the Eiffel Tower, moving through the inner solar system on a path that brushes past our planet at what space agencies still describe as a safe distance, tends to do that. It won’t be visible to the naked eye, and nothing about its trajectory suggests anything unusual in a hazardous sense, but the combination of its size, timing, and relative brightness has made it a talking point among observers who follow the sky closely. The pass happens on Saturday, June 27, 2026, when it slides through space at roughly 1.6 million miles from Earth.The object in question is asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1, a near-Earth asteroid estimated to measure somewhere between 710 and 1,600 metres across.
That places it in the category of bodies that planetary scientists tend to watch with steady interest rather than alarm. It is large enough to reshape regional landscapes if it were ever on an impact course, yet its current orbit is well understood.According to data compiled by the European Space Agency, the closest approach occurs at around 11:14 UTC on 27 June, when the asteroid reaches its nearest point at about 2.6 million kilometres away. The orbit classification used by astronomers places it in the Aten group, meaning it spends much of its time inside Earth’s orbit while still crossing our path at intervals."A close approach to Earth by an object this size only occurs every few years, although this time the bright nearby moon might impede its observability at closest approach," Juan Luis Cano of the ESA's Planetary Defence Office said.The asteroid was first picked up in 1997 by the NEAT survey, part of a broader effort at the time to catalogue objects moving through Earth’s neighbourhood. Back then, detection systems were far less automated than today, and follow-up observations were essential to confirm its orbit.Over the years, repeated tracking has refined its path to the point where its future passes can be predicted with high confidence.
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