Asteroid zooms past Earth unnoticed in ‘one of the closest approaches ever’
Asteroid narrowly avoids Earth and leaves astronomers shocked
- An asteroid named 2025 TF, measuring between one and three metres across, flew past Earth last week, initially unnoticed by astronomers.
- The space rock approached within 428km (265 miles) of Earth's surface, an altitude comparable to the International Space Station and one of the closest approaches ever recorded.
- It was spotted hours after its flyby by the Nasa-funded Catalina Sky Survey, with European astronomers later conducting further observations.
- Another small asteroid, 2025 TQ2, also passed Earth on the same day, at a distance of approximately 4,850 km (3,014 miles).
- While small asteroids generally pose no significant threat, larger objects are continuously monitored, with one asteroid, 2024 YR4, having a small chance of impacting the Moon in 2032, potentially affecting Earth's satellites.