Aeroplane-sized asteroids speeding towards Earth, says NASA, no threat expected

NASA has reported that an asteroid roughly the size of an aeroplane is heading towards Earth at high velocity. The asteroid, named 2025 TN2, is about 87 feet (26 metres) wide and is expected to make its closest approach today.

Despite its rapid trajectory, scientists confirm there is no danger to Earth, as the asteroid will remain at a safe distance of 1.34 million kilometres from the planet more than three times farther than the Moon.

According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), three other smaller asteroids are also expected to pass by Earth around the same time. These include 2025 SJ29, 2025 TF1, and 2020 QU5, measuring approximately 55 feet, 65 feet, and 81 feet across, respectively. Among them, 2025 TN2 is the largest.

Just last week, astronomers observed another small asteroid making an unexpectedly close pass by Earth closer than many satellites. The European Space Agency (ESA) reported that the object, now designated 2025 TF, zipped over Antarctica at an altitude of about 428 kilometers on September 30 at 8.47 pm EDT.

The asteroid, estimated to be between 3.3 and 9.8 feet in diameter, was spotted only hours after the flyby by the Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded programme that tracks near-Earth objects. ESA noted that if it had entered the atmosphere, it would have burned up harmlessly as a bright fireball. Fortunately, it passed safely through the orbital range of the International Space Station, without posing any risk to satellites or astronauts.