Too close for comfort: Tiny asteroid grazed earth, spotted hours later

Without a whisper of warning, a fridge-sized asteroid named 2025 TF zipped past Earth—closer than the orbit of most satellites. No telescope caught it in time.

Astronomers didn’t even know it was there until after it had gone. Hours later, data revealed it had skimmed just 265 miles above Antarctica.

At that altitude, 2025 TF was flying through a zone usually reserved for the International Space Station—making it one of the lowest recorded asteroid flybys in history. (Representative pic)

The rock measured just 3–10 feet across, too small to survive re-entry but big enough to flash as a fireball had it plunged into our skies. (Representative pic)

NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey only spotted the asteroid after its escape. The discovery came via faint data trails that nearly went unnoticed. (Credit: NASA)

The European Space Agency’s Planetary Defence Office quickly verified the path, praising astronomers for tracking such a tiny object with pinpoint accuracy. (Representative pic/ESA)

Most satellites cruise hundreds of miles higher, meaning 2025 TF darted through airspace we rarely imagine rocks from space could enter. (Representative pic)

Experts say the incident underscores just how many small, fast-moving asteroids slip by unseen—proof that space vigilance still has blind spots. (Representative pic)

ESA models predict we won’t see 2025 TF again until April 2087—plenty of time to improve detection systems before the next cosmic sneak attack.