Astronomers were caught off guard by a small asteroid, roughly the size of a giraffe, that made a close pass by Earth on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 8:47 p.m. EDT. The encounter wasn't detected until hours after the space rock had flown over Antarctica at an altitude of just 265 miles above the planet's surface, as reported by the European Space Agency (ESA). The asteroid was first identified by the Catalina Sky Survey and is estimated to be between 3.3 and 9.8 feet wide. Fortunately, it never posed any threat to Earth.
Despite its small size, this asteroid could have posed challenges for spacecraft, as it passed by at an altitude similar to that of the International Space Station (229 to 285 miles approx.). Fortunately, the paths of the asteroid and the station did not intersect. Once the object was discovered, astronomers at ESA’s Planetary Defense Office used the Las Cumbres Observatory telescope in Siding Spring, Australia, to track down the meter-scale asteroid, which was located in an uncertain position. This observation was a commendable achievement, as they managed to determine the precise distance and timing of the asteroid’s close approach.
NASA did not issue any official announcement about the asteroid, as its operations were on hold due to the U.S. government shutdown. However, an update on NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies website included information about the space rock. According to Live Science, the asteroid is not expected to come close to Earth again until April 2087. Thousands of near-Earth objects are currently monitored by space agencies such as NASA and ESA.
To be classified as "potentially hazardous," an object must be at least 460 feet in diameter and follow an orbit that brings it within 4.65 million miles of Earth—approximately 20 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. Fortunately, no known objects pose a significant threat to the planet for at least the next hundred years. Asteroid 2025 TF fell short of the size threshold required for classification, which explains why it went undetected until after it had passed by.
The asteroid 2025 TF holds the record for the second closest approach of any known asteroid, with the first being 2020 VT4, according to Universe Today. This slightly larger asteroid passed about 386 km above the Pacific Ocean in November 2020. Like 2025 TF, it was also detected hours after completing its closest approach, though 2020 VT4 took around 15 hours to be spotted, compared to 6 hours for 2025 TF.
This near-miss asteroid did not create a "fireball" because it did not enter Earth's atmosphere. However, skywatchers had the opportunity to observe the peak of the Draconid meteor shower around the same time. In the coming weeks, Earth will also experience the annual Geminids meteor shower, offering another chance for stargazers to enjoy the night sky.
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