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If you’re hoping to spot Santa flying through the skies on Christmas Eve, keep an eye out for another celestial visitor—a massive near-Earth object.

NASA has issued a warning about a mega-sized asteroid set to pass close to Earth on Christmas Eve. 

NASA's Eyes on Asteroids live interactive tool is a good place for skywatchers to stay informed.

The asteroid, named 2024 NX1, is comparable in size to a ten-story building and will speed past our planet at an estimated 14,743 miles per hour. According to NASA the space rock has an average diameter of 47.42 meters.

As of this morning, 2024 NX1 was recorded to be 1.51 astronomical units from Earth, where one AU equals 92,955,807 miles. The asteroid will reach its closest point to Earth at 2:56 a.m. GMT on Christmas Eve.

Jess Lee, an astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, reassured observers, stating, “It will be very far away, around 18 times further away from the Earth than the Moon is, and so with this predicted path won’t come close enough to hit the Earth.”

What Is a Near-Earth Object?

NASA classifies near-Earth objects (NEOs) as asteroids and comets that come within 120 million miles (195 million kilometers) of the Sun, crossing Earth’s orbital path. The agency explained, “Most Near-Earth objects are asteroids that range in size from about 10 feet (a few meters) to nearly 25 miles (40 kilometers) across.”

NASA uses precise calculations to determine each NEO’s orbital path. “As more observations are made, the accuracy of an object’s orbit improves dramatically, making it possible to predict its path years or even decades into the future—and whether it could come close to Earth,” the agency noted.

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Tips for Skywatchers

For those eager to spot 2024 NX1, the University of Arizona suggests looking under the darkest skies. Larger asteroids might be visible to the naked eye, but a telescope—especially one equipped with an astronomy imaging camera—improves the chances.

The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory advises: “Take multiple photographs of a patch of sky over 60 minutes and then quickly flip through those images. Stars will appear stationary, but asteroids, satellites, comets, and other bits of space debris will seem to move. Try to photograph your asteroid over several nights to collect information on its orbital path.”

While drones—common in places like New Jersey—move slower and are illuminated by artificial lights, the Christmas Eve asteroid will appear as a flash across the sky, traveling thousands of miles per hour. Don’t miss this dazzling cosmic event!