Large asteroid to pass Earth, visible in small telescopes!

Watch a large asteroid safely pass Earth

A 1-kilometer-wide (0.6-mile-wide) asteroid will soar past Earth this week, and those with small telescopes will be able to watch it fly by.

The space rock will pass us at safe distance of around 1.5 million miles (2.5 million kilometers) on June 27, 2026. That’s just under 7 times farther away than the moon.

The space rock in question is asteroid 152637 (1997 NC1), which was discovered back in 1997. The Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) system on Haleakala in Hawaii discovered the asteroid, which is between 710 meters and 1.6 kilometers in diameter. The last time a large asteroid came closer than this one was in January 2022, when asteroid 1994 PC1 visited our planet’s neighborhood.

If you’re lucky enough to have access to a 6-inch-or-larger-diameter telescope, you’ll be able to spot it! Use the star charts below to know where and when to point your telescope and witness this unique astronomical event.

How to see the large asteroid 1997 NC1

The best dates for observing the asteroid using a telescope will be June 26, 27 and 28.

The Aten-type (Earth-crossing) asteroid is moving at a speed of 19,886 miles per hour (32,004 km/h). This speed will allow observers using telescopes to detect its relatively “slow” motion against the background stars.

The space rock will appear like an apparent star with a brightness of magnitude 10. But if you are pointing at the correct location, you can take a good look at the star patterns and compare the view just 5 to 7 minutes later to detect its motion.

The space rock will be passing pretty close, at 6.7 times farther away than the moon. But the asteroid’s overall size is the main reason amateur astronomers will get a glimpse of this celestial visitor from their backyards.

The combination of its large size and relatively close pass by Earth means the asteroid has earned the classification of a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid.

Star charts for the asteroid 1997 NC1

Professional astronomers will also take a look

Dr. Lance A. M. Benner, an asteroid expert at NASA/JPL, said:

This object has not been observed with radar previously. We will use the 34 m DSS-26 antennas as a transmitter (7190 MHz) and the 34 meter DSS-13 antenna as a receiver to observe this asteroid on June 24, 25, and 27.

These antennas are at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in the Mojave Desert, California.

However, it will be very difficult for scientists to get good radar images. Unfortunately, the legendary 305-meter (1,000-ft) Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico – which captured images of other asteroids – collapsed on December 1, 2020.

Another antenna, the 70-meter DSS-14 dish at Goldstone, is currently offline until 2028 for modernization and installation of new equipment. Meanwhile, astronomers have limited or smaller resolution tools for studying medium-sized and large asteroids that pass by Earth.

Astronomers will make other radar observations using other (smaller) available antennas in California and Australia. Benner added:

We plan to use these to help resolve some discrepancies regarding the diameter, spectral class and optical albedo [of asteroid 1997 NC1]. This will also help calibrate the Spitzer Space Telescope and NEOWISE spacecraft observations of this asteroid.

Bottom line: On June 27, 2026, a large asteroid will safely pass close to Earth. Observers with small telescopes can watch the asteroid sail by. Charts here.