A 9.8-foot asteroid, 2025 TF, zoomed past Earth closer than satellites over Antarctica

Tiny Asteroid Slips Past Earth Closer Than Satellites Without Detection (Representative Image: Canva

A giraffe-sized asteroid zipped past Earth on 30 September, flying over Antarctica at just 265 miles (428 kilometres) above the surface. According to new data from the European Space Agency (ESA), the unexpected flyby occurred at 8:47 p.m. EDT (0047 GMT on 1 October), and astronomers noticed it only hours later.

The space rock, now named 2025 TF, was spotted after the event using observations from the Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded project that monitors near-Earth objects. Measuring between 1 and 3 metres wide, it was too small to cause serious damage but could have burned brightly if it entered the atmosphere.

Asteroid 2025 TF escaped detection likely due to its small size and faint visibility. Objects under 140 metres are not classified as potentially hazardous, as they pose minimal threat to Earth. To fall into that category, a space rock must be at least 460 feet (140 metres) wide and pass within 4.65 million miles (7.48 million kilometres) of the planet.

Despite its small size, the asteroid travelled through a region where the International Space Station orbits. ESA confirmed that no spacecraft were in danger, but the event highlights the risks even tiny objects can pose to satellites. Astronomers at ESA’s Planetary Defence Office quickly began tracking 2025 TF after its detection.

The near-Earth asteroid 2025 TF (red crosshairs) passed as close as the International Space Station on Wednesday, October 1, and was detected only hours afterward. (Image: ESA / Las Cumbres Observatory)

NASA, which has paused public communications due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, did not release a statement. However, its Center for Near-Earth Object Studies has updated the asteroid’s entry. NASA estimates that 2025 TF will not return until April 2087.

While Earth narrowly avoided a potential fireball, stargazers have another spectacle ahead. The annual Draconid meteor shower will peak on 8 October. Though the full Harvest Moon may dull the display, bright meteors are still expected.

Unlike asteroids, the Draconids are formed from icy debris shed by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which passes through the inner solar system every 6.5 years. This celestial light show promises a safer and more predictable display for skywatchers after last week’s cosmic surprise.