Asteroid 2024 ON, which is approximately 720 feet in diameter, will make a safe approach to Earth today, coming within 997,793 kilometers—over 2.5 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. Although it is not a threat, the asteroid’s speed of 40,233 km/h is notable. It will reach its closest point to Earth on September 17.

Discovered by the ATLAS Sky Survey on July 27, 2024 ON will be visible via a live stream on virtualtelescope.eu/webtv today, September 15, starting at 19:30 UTC (1:00 AM September 16). NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program, monitored by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, is closely observing the asteroid with optical telescopes to analyze its composition, shape, and size.

NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) is also ready to track and, if necessary, deflect the asteroid. The JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) reports that similar close approaches by asteroids occur approximately once every decade.

While it is not unusual for asteroids to come near Earth, today’s close passes include several other asteroids, such as 2024 RQ5, which is bus-sized, and 2024 RM10, which is the size of a plane. None of these are expected to pose any threat.