After the scare posed by space rocks Apophis and 2024 YR4, another asteroid is hurtling towards Earth and could pose a potential threat. The European Space Agency has added 2025 FA22 to its list of the Top five asteroids that pose a risk to the planet. With a diameter of 656 feet, 2025 FA22 can impact Earth on September 19, 2089.

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The good news is that the probability of an impact is only 0.01% right now. And even if it does smash into our planet, the occurrence is far off in the future. 

The asteroid was spotted by Pan-STARRS 2 on March 29 and has been assigned a rating of above -3 on the Palermo Scale. On the Torino Scale, it is placed on the 0–1 boundary. While it looks tiny, these ratings mean that while the risk of an impact is low, it definitely cannot be ignored.

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Before 2089, 2025 FA22 will pay us a visit on September 18, 2025. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids, and the upcoming encounter will help scientists learn more about it before it vanishes. Experts are hoping to use the small window to make more observations about the impact scenarios.

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Notably, ESA maintains a risk list of asteroids and comets that can threaten Earth. Right now, there are a total of 1,782 objects on this list. Earth currently has 38,307 asteroids and 123 comets hovering around it, all classified as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

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Also Read: 'Once in 1,000 years...': NASA says asteroid 2024 YR4 can hit the Moon. Is Earth safe?

American space agency NASA also tracks space objects that can impact Earth as part of its Asteroid Watch program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) studies their orbits and calculates the risk of impact.

Other asteroids that are speeding towards Earth

Two other asteroids gave astronomers sleepless nights lately. First was Apophis which was predicted to hit Earth in 2029. The second and the more recent one is 2024 YR4 which threatened to crash into the planet in 2032. 

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After weeks of studying data, experts say that both of them no longer pose a risk to humans and will safely fly by Earth. However, 2024 YR4 seems to be on a trajectory where it can hit the Moon. The odds of that happening currently stand at one in 55 (1.8 per cent chance).

However, the Moon might be able to endure the impact since it has been littered with craters caused by space rocks for millions of years.