A compact asteroid recently executed an exceptionally close pass by Earth.
A diminutive asteroid, officially designated 2025 TF, recently performed a remarkably close yet entirely safe flyby of Earth. On Tuesday, September 30, at 8:49 p.m. EDT (Wednesday, October 1, at 0049 GMT), the space rock passed within an estimated 250 miles (approximately 400 kilometers) of our planet, according to data released by NASA. This close approach positioned the asteroid at an altitude roughly comparable to that of the International Space Station.
While a recent near miss was notable, it did not set a new record for the closest asteroid flyby. That distinction remains with asteroid 2020 VT4, which five years ago passed Earth at an astonishingly close altitude of just 230 miles (370 km). Intriguingly, the European Space Agency confirmed that ground-based telescopes only detected this record-breaking celestial visitor after it had already safely streaked past our planet.
A recently identified asteroid, designated 2025 TF, has been described as remarkably small by astronomical measures, roughly comparable in size to a standard couch. Its estimated diameter falls between three and nine feet (1.2 to 2.7 meters). Reports from The Watchers indicate that astronomers detected this new celestial body just hours following its closest pass by Earth. However, NASA has yet to release an official confirmation or statement regarding the discovery, a delay attributed to the effects of an ongoing government-wide shutdown.
Multiple space observatories tracked the asteroid 2025 TF, according to an October 2 update from the Minor Planet Center. The center, which swiftly disseminates astronomical information through an electronic circular, indicated that the Catalina Sky Survey was the first to detect the object. This initial observation occurred on October 1 at 2:35 a.m. EDT (0635 GMT), shortly after the asteroid had passed its closest point to Earth.
Due to a government shutdown impacting NASA, Space.com was unable to obtain official comment from the agency regarding the matter. However, data from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicated the asteroid’s most probable flyby distance was 4,213 miles (6,780 km) from the center of Earth.
According to observations from the CNEOS close-approach viewer, asteroid 2025 TF reportedly executed a flyby over Antarctica. This event placed the asteroid at an estimated altitude of approximately 262 miles (423 km) above our planet, based on Earth’s polar radius of 3,950 miles (6,357 km). However, significant uncertainties are acknowledged in this calculation, stemming from the complexities of Earth’s scale and the methodologies used for flyby measurements.
NASA routinely scans the cosmos for exceptionally large asteroids that could imperil Earth. Although some have been categorized as “potentially hazardous” due to their size and orbital trajectories, decades of vigilant monitoring have revealed no immediate, substantial threats to our planet.
Smaller space rocks, like 2025 TF, are inherently more difficult to detect, primarily because the global telescope network is optimized to identify and track larger, potentially more threatening objects. Despite this, NASA and its partners continue their extensive efforts to catalog these celestial bodies. Scientists report that detection technology is rapidly improving, to the extent that astronomers now routinely observe multiple safe, close-proximity asteroid passes each week.
