A small asteroid it grazed the Earth last October 1st, passing at a surprisingly close distance: just 428 kilometers from the surface, at the height of the typical orbits of the International Space Station (ISS). The peculiarity? The celestial object was only discovered a few hours later its transit, highlighting the challenges still open in the surveillance of the smaller bodies of the solar system.
Posthumously discovered thanks to the Catalina Sky Survey
The asteroid, named 2025 TFhas an estimated diameter between 1 and 3 meters. It was identified thanks to the astronomical program Catalina Sky Surveybased in Arizona (USA), specialized in the identification of potentially dangerous near-Earth objects (NEO – Near Earth Objects).
The detection occurred only after I fly over of our planet, which occurred at 2.47 am (Italian time) over Antarctica, and its observation then continued thanks to the Observatory’s telescope Las Cumbresa Siding Springin Australia, coordinated by the ESA (European Space Agency) Planetary Defense Office.
No real danger, but a warning sign
Despite the extremely short distance, the asteroid did not represent a dangeras ESA experts point out: “Objects of this size do not pose a significant risk. If they were to enter the Earth’s atmosphere, at most they would generate luminous fireballs and, in rare cases, they could give rise to small meteorites on the ground”.
NASA’s silence over the shutdown
At a time when NASA is in public silence due to the government shutdown in the United States, they have not been released statements
officials. However, the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) updated information on the asteroid, confirming that 2025 TF will not pass by Earth again until April 2087.