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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteNASA’s Eyes on Asteroids, a free 3D visualization that runs in a web browser, now covers 42,580 near-Earth objects (NEOs). That figure comes from NASA’s release notes, published October 5, 2026, for the software version released September 30, 2026. The update adds two things: an Impact tab for objects that have struck Earth, and a Watch button for selected upcoming close approaches.
What the 42,580 figure means
NASA’s release note reports 42,580 NEOs for the September 30, 2026 version. Treat it as a snapshot. Catalogs of near-Earth objects change as new bodies are found and their orbits are refined. Older NASA pages still describe the tool as covering “30,000+” objects, which is out of date. Use the 2026 release note when you need the current number.
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What Eyes on Asteroids is
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) describes Eyes on Asteroids as an interactive 3D visualization of asteroids and comets, their approaches to Earth, and the missions that explore them. Its orbit data comes from JPL’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). CNEOS computes high-precision NEO orbits in support of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office. JPL’s page says you can:
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- see asteroids and comets in real time;
- review the next five close approaches;
- explore past, present and future missions.
It is a visualization. The sources reviewed do not present it as a replacement for NASA’s formal hazard-monitoring systems.
What the September 2026 update adds
The Impact tab
For objects that actually struck Earth in the past, the Impact tab, along with the Watch button, lets you view the incident in the 3D interface.
The Watch button
For an upcoming close approach, the Watch button appears only if the object passes within 0.05 astronomical units (AU) of Earth. NASA spells that out as 7,479,894 kilometers, or 4,647,790 miles.
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The ten-year limit
Eyes on Asteroids represents only the next ten years, which NASA says keeps accuracy high. An approach further out will not appear in the 3D view.
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No. The 0.05 AU figure is the rule that decides which approaches get a Watch button. NASA’s note does not explain why that distance was chosen, and it does not say the distance marks danger. Read a Watch button as “this approach is close enough to view in 3D.” It does not mean “this object may hit Earth.”
How to access it
NASA describes Eyes as a browser-based suite. Its 2021 launch overview said no download was required and named smartphones, tablets and computers with an internet connection. NASA’s educational catalog lists the app as an interactive visualization with a material cost of free, and says the apps run in a regular browser on an internet-connected device. That makes it practical for classrooms and casual exploration.
The 2021 overview also said the data was updated twice daily. That was true at launch. The 2026 release note does not confirm the cadence, so don’t assume it still applies.
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Why NASA built it this way
Jason Craig, technical producer of the Visualization Technology Applications and Development team at JPL, said in NASA’s 2021 launch article: “We wanted Eyes on Asteroids to be as user-friendly as possible while telling the stories about humanity’s exploration of these fascinating objects.” That is the team’s stated design goal, not an independent usability verdict.
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