The near-Earth asteroid 2025 TF (red targeting reticle) passed by Earth almost as close as the International Space Station on Wednesday (Oct. 1), avoiding discovery until several hours afterward.
1-c163-4143-be95-a68a50810e8e”>A tiny asteroid whizzed past our planet nearer than many satellites recently — and it went unnoticed by astronomers until hours had passed.
With dimensions estimated between 3.3 and 9.8 feet in breadth (1 to 3 meters), the asteroid presented no significant peril to Earth, ESA stated, and would very likely have disintegrated as a dazzling meteor had it entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Nonetheless, even diminutive asteroids can generate major issues for spacecraft — and this particular one happened to zip by around the same level where the International Space Station commonly orbits. Luckily, there were no spacecraft situated within the space rock’s trajectory.
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Organizations for space exploration, such as NASA and ESA, monitor thousands of recognized near-Earth objects, carefully keeping track of those which pose the greatest possibility of impact with Earth. (As of now, there are no known celestial bodies posing a considerable hazard to our world for at least the next 100 years). For an asteroid to be deemed “potentially perilous”, it must have a diameter of at least 460 feet (140 m) and adhere to an orbital route that passes within 4.65 million miles (7.48 million km) of Earth — about 20 times the typical separation between Earth and its moon. Asteroid 2025 TF falls well below that size boundary, which may also offer an explanation as to why it eluded recognition until following its passage.
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Astronomers working at ESA’s Planetary Defence Office examined the asteroid shortly after its discovery, as reported by ESA authorities. NASA, which has suspended all public communications due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, did not publicize any announcements concerning the asteroid — nonetheless, the asteroid has received an updated entry on NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies website. The diminutive space rock is not anticipated to once again fly close to our planet until April of 2087, according to NASA.
Earth might have averted a “fireball” with the near-miss asteroid encounter, though stargazers should anticipate additional blazing lights during the week. The Draconid meteor shower is set to peak on Wednesday (Oct. 8) — and while the display of shooting stars will be somewhat muted by the luminescence emanating from the full Harvest Moon, the possibility for bright fireball meteors to appear is still present. There are no asteroids that factor into this yearly celestial display; the Draconids originate from icy remnants abandoned by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which streams through the inner solar system roughly every 6.5 years.
TOPICSNASA
Brandon SpecktorSocial Links NavigationEditor
Brandon serves as the space/physics editor at Live Science. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation’s website and various other platforms. He earned a bachelor’s degree in creative composition from the University of Arizona, with minors in journalism and visual arts. He finds the most enjoyment in writing about cosmic themes, geoscience, and the enigmas surrounding the universe.
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