Two small near-Earth asteroids skim Earth in early October 2025

A pair of small asteroids made unusually close passes by Earth in the first days of October 2025, one skimming just above the planet over Antarctica and the other passing a few days later over Canada, astronomers said. The nearer of the two, designated 2025 TF, flew about 428 kilometers, or roughly 266 miles, above Antarctica on Oct. 1, placing it within the altitude range of the International Space Station. The second, 2025 TQ2, passed at about 4,851 kilometers, or 3,014 miles, above Canada on Oct. 2.

Scientists say neither object posed a threat. Estimates place 2025 TF at roughly 1 to 3 meters in diameter, and 2025 TQ2 at about 2 to 4.4 meters across, meaning either would likely have disintegrated in the atmosphere and produced only a bright fireball and possibly small meteorite fragments. The European Space Agency noted that "objects of this size pose no significant danger."

2025 TF was identified by the Catalina Sky Survey based in Arizona after it had already made its closest approach. Follow-up observations by the European Space Agency's Planetary Defence Office using a Las Cumbres Observatory telescope in Australia allowed astronomers to refine the rock's trajectory and...