NEW YORK (AP) — A large asteroid will zip past Earth this weekend, but don't worry: It poses no danger.
The space rock — 1997 NC1 — makes its closest approach Saturday morning, coming within 1.6 million miles (2.6 million kilometers), according to the European Space Agency.
Discovered nearly three decades ago by an asteroid-tracking system in Hawaii, the asteroid is between 2,461 feet (0.75 kilometer) to 5,413 feet (1.65 kilometers) wide — roughly the size of two to four Empire State Buildings.
Skygazers with binoculars and small telescopes may be able to spot the asteroid as a small point of light passing harmlessly through the sky. It won't greet Earth from such a distance again until 2133, according to NASA.
The last time an asteroid similar in size passed safely by Earth from an even closer distance was in 2022, when a space rock called 1994 PC1 made its approach.
NASA, ESA and other space agencies track the paths of asteroids and other space junk so they can keep Earth safe from any possible collisions. Last year, astronomers tracked a smaller asteroid resembling a spinning hockey puck and said there's no chance of it hitting Earth or the moon.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren, Bulgaria, Aug. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov, File)
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — India rested wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and lost to Ireland for the first time in men's international cricket on Friday.
Ireland was made to bat first in the Twenty20 and recovered from 51-4 to rack 182-9 at Stormont. India was all out for 148 with seven balls remaining and lost by 34 runs in its first match since winning a second successive T20 World Cup in March.
“We are not going to forget what happened and there's a lot to learn from this game,” new India captain Shreyas Iyer said after his first T20 since 2023. “Going to come out all guns blazing in the next game.”
They play a second and last T20 on Sunday at the same ground before India leaves for England and a five-game series.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi's senior debut for India has been hugely anticipated since he tore apart some of the world's best bowlers to top the Indian Premier League batting charts. But he was left out on Friday as India retained seven of the XI which became the reigning two-time world champions.
“(Sooryavanshi) is a gun player but we have some tremendous players who have done well for us so we are backing them,” Iyer said. “He will get his chance.”
It was Ireland's two debutants who enjoyed an unforgettable day.
India-born left-arm quick Jai Moondra and medium-pacer Matt Hollard shared five wickets.
Moondra bowled opener Sanju Samson with his first delivery and returned to catch off his own bowling Shivam Dube, India's last recognized batter. Moondra took 2-25 and would have had a third wicket off his last delivery but Harshit Rana was dropped at long-on.
Hollard took the wicket of Ishan Kishan with his second delivery on debut, plus Iyer, and finished with Washington Sundar's wicket for 3-28.
Like Ireland, India lost three wickets in the powerplay but opener Abhishek Sharma flew to 49 off 20 balls when he was out caught in the deep. Nobody else scored more than Dube's 25.
Ireland kept picking off the Indians regularly and beside Hollard and Moondra, Matthew Humphreys grabbed 3-28. Humphreys injured his hand trying to take a tough caught-and-bowled chance off Axar Patel. But with the hand strapped, he finished off the match by ousting Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh in the 19th over and was mobbed by his teammates.
“It's pretty special to beat the world champions at home,” said Lorcan Tucker, given the Ireland captaincy following injuries to five front-liners. “We scrapped through the game, we had some tough periods but we we stuck to it, we were diligent.”
Rana hobbled Ireland in the powerplay to 36-3. Ben Calitz welcomed Prasidh Krishna in his first T20 since 2023 with a pair of sixes then was caught by the medium-pacer.
Axar Patel should have had the wickets of Tucker and Gareth Delany but both were dropped. Tucker went to 50 off 35 balls and was out next ball.
Delany gave Ireland a storming finish when he hit three sixes in a row off Krishna and was out for 49 off 32 to Singh, who took 2-28. Patel claimed 2-33.
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Ireland's Matt Hollard, center right, celebrates bowling out India's Ishan Kishan during the first T20I test match at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday June 26, 2026. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Ireland's Jai Moondra, center, celebrates with team-mates after bowling out India's Sanju Samson during the first T20I test match at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday June 26, 2026. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
Ireland's Jai Moondra, center, celebrates with team-mates after bowling out India's Sanju Samson during the first T20I test match at Stormont, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday June 26, 2026. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)
