Astronomers have pinpointed a substantial 700-meter-wide (2,300-foot) asteroid that had previously eluded detection, concealed by the sun’s intense glare. This newly identified space rock is hurtling through our solar system at an astonishing velocity, approaching a near record for celestial bodies of its kind.

Astronomers have pinpointed a skyscraper-sized asteroid, designated 2025 SC79, which boasts one of the solar system’s most rapid trajectories. Completing a full circuit around the sun every 128 days, it holds the distinction of having the second-fastest known asteroid orbit. What makes 2025 SC79 particularly unique is its unusually tight path: it is only the second celestial object ever discovered to orbit entirely within Venus’ trajectory, occasionally even venturing into the orbital zone of Mercury.

Astronomer Scott Sheppard, based at the Carnegie Science research institute in Washington, D.C., first detected asteroid 2025 SC79 on September 27. Its detection proved exceptionally difficult, as the celestial body was largely obscured by the sun’s intense glare, according to a release from Carnegie Science. Such discoveries are vital for planetary defense, ensuring that no potentially hazardous space rock can approach Earth undetected.