NASA’s planetary defense efforts have intensified in recent years, as the agency has ramped up monitoring of near-Earth objects (NEOs) to better predict and look out for potential impacts. In addition to ground-based observatories, NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar in California has played a big role in capturing high-resolution images of fast-moving asteroids. For instance, in July 2025, the radar captured a series of 41 images of an asteroid making a flyby near Earth, and it won’t be the only one.
Asteroids heading to Earth often: multiple cosmic objects are passing by
The increasing frequency of close asteroid flybys has heightened public interest and concern. While NASA’s monitoring systems have confirmed that many of these objects pose no immediate threat, the agency continues to track their trajectories to ensure planetary safety. For example, in August 2025, NASA tracked five asteroids making close approaches to Earth in a single day. Although none of these asteroids posed a significant risk, the event underscored the importance of continuous monitoring and preparedness.
As NASA continues to refine its asteroid tracking capabilities, the agency is also preparing for future missions aimed at better understanding and potentially cutting down the risks posed by NEOs. One such mission is the planned launch of the NEO Surveyor spacecraft in 2027, which will use infrared technology to detect and characterize asteroids, particularly those that are difficult to observe with visible light. However, the space agency just revealed a new insight on the 2025 OW.
Not alone in our solar system: NASA identified multiple cosmic bodies
NASA is keeping a close eye on a fast-moving asteroid roughly the size of an airplane, which passed Earth on July 28 at nearly 47,000 miles per hour. Known as 2025 OW, the space rock spans about 210 feet and will come within roughly 393,000 miles of our planet—just a little over the distance to the Moon.
But 2025 OW isn’t alone. Another airplane-sized asteroid, 2025 OX, past Earth on July 26, about 110 feet across, at a distance of nearly 2.8 million miles. And in the weeks that followed, three more small asteroids are made close passes: 2018 BE5 on July 28, 2025 OR on July 31, and 2019 CO1 in August, each cruising millions of miles away.
Another asteroid coming to our planet: It’s in Jupiter right now
Asteroids like these are leftover building blocks from the birth of our solar system, made of rock, dust, and metal. Most linger in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but occasionally, one drifts closer to Earth. While smaller rocks—around 30 feet—create dazzling fireballs and loud sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere, the big ones, stretching hundreds or thousands of feet, could leave a crater or even pose a threat to populated areas.
3I/ATLAS was first spotted on July 1, streaking toward the sun at more than 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h). Within a day, astronomers confirmed it wasn’t from our solar system. At first glance, it looks like a regular comet — a hazy cloud of ice, gas, and dust stretching almost 24 kilometers across. Early models even suggest it could be older than the entire solar system, potentially making it the oldest comet we’ve ever seen.
What if these cosmic bodies are to give us leads on something bigger?
Not everyone is convinced it’s just a comet, though. A paper posted on July 16 by three researchers explored a different idea: what if this isn’t a rock at all, but a piece of alien technology? The authors aren’t claiming proof; they present it more as a thought experiment. Still, they point out a few unusual features that make you wonder if there could be more to 3I/ATLAS than meets the eye. If there’s life in another planet, these asteroids or comments can contain traces of lives, as they once provided what Earth needed to generate life.