NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids is a free, browser-based 3D experience for exploring near-Earth asteroids and comets, their orbits and close approaches, and related spacecraft missions. It works on an internet-connected phone, tablet, or computer without a download. NASA says it covers more than 30,000 asteroids near Earth’s orbit and shows the next five closest approaches, though its current page does not date that count.
What NASA Eyes on Asteroids shows
The visualization lets you inspect near-Earth objects in three dimensions and see how their paths relate to Earth. NASA’s overview describes orbital views, close-approach information, and educational stories about potentially hazardous objects. A time slider, object profiles, and mission events were described by NASA/JPL; the 2021 launch article also highlighted encounters such as OSIRIS-REx collecting a sample from Bennu and DART’s impact on Dimorphos. Those event examples document features at launch, not a guarantee that every detail of the interface is unchanged today.
NASA/JPL says the visualization draws on data from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). CNEOS computes high-precision orbits for near-Earth objects in support of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
How to use it
- Open NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids page in a web browser on an internet-connected phone, tablet, or computer.
- Explore the 3D view to see the objects and their orbital paths, then use the time slider to move through orbital motion. NASA/JPL’s launch description says the slider can move backward and forward in time.
- Select an object or event to read its profile and inspect a close approach or mission event where available.
- Use the displayed distances and orbital context to understand an encounter rather than judging it from the word “close” alone.
What “close approach” means—and what it does not
A listing for a close approach is not, by itself, evidence that an asteroid is on course to hit Earth. The visualization helps put an encounter in spatial context. Jason Craig, technical producer of JPL’s Visualization Technology Applications and Development team, explained in NASA/JPL’s 2021 launch article: “The headlines often depict these close approaches as ‘dangerously’ close, but users will see by using Eyes just how distant most of these encounters really are.” An object’s appearance in the experience should therefore be read as information about its orbit and passage, not as an impact warning.
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How many objects does it include?
NASA Science’s current public description says Eyes on Asteroids covers more than 30,000 asteroids near Earth’s orbit. The page does not date that figure, so it should not be treated as a dated database total. For historical context only, NASA/JPL’s December 10, 2021 launch article referred to about 28,000 known near-Earth objects and said the data were updated twice daily at that time. That older count and update cadence describe the 2021 launch-era snapshot; they do not establish the current count or update schedule.
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NASA presents Eyes on Asteroids as a free browser experience that needs an internet connection, not a download. NASA’s education listing marks the material cost as free and says no specialized purchase is required. NASA lists it for K–5, grades 6–8, and grades 9–12+, making it usable as an educational visualization as well as an individual exploration tool.
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Sources
- NASA Science: Eyes on Asteroids — current overview and the undated 30,000-plus description.
- NASA/JPL: NASA’s Eyes on Asteroids Will Allow the Public to Track Near-Earth Objects in Real Time — launch-era features, count, update cadence, and quotations, published December 10, 2021.
- NASA/JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies — information on CNEOS and its near-Earth object orbit work.
- NASA: Eyes on Asteroids STEM resource — education audience and material-cost information.
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