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Newly Discovered Asteroid to Pass Earth Closer Than the Moon Today

A recently identified asteroid, designated as 2025 TP5, will make a close approach to Earth today, October 15, 2023. This space rock is set to pass at approximately 4:09 p.m. EDT (2009 UTC). The asteroid will fly by at a distance of about 60,328 miles (97,089 km), which is roughly a quarter of the average distance to the Moon.

Details of the Asteroid’s Approach

The average distance to the Moon is approximately 238,855 miles (384,400 km). Following its close approach to Earth, 2025 TP5 will continue its trajectory toward the Moon, where it will come as close as 74,616 miles (120,084 km) on October 16.

A Sizeable Object

  • Estimated Diameter: Approximately 54 feet (16 meters)
  • Comparison: Similar in size to the six-story Chelyabinsk meteor, which disintegrated above Russia in 2013.

Discovery and Observation

Despite passing near Earth in September 1979, 2025 TP5 was only discovered recently on October 13, 2023, at 4:07 a.m. EDT (0807 UTC). Astronomers at the Mauna Kea facility in Hawaii utilized the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) for its detection.

  • Discovery Tools: ATLAS is an early-warning asteroid detection system consisting of four telescopes, funded by NASA and developed by the University of Hawaii.
  • Significance: Although designed to identify potentially hazardous asteroids, 2025 TP5 poses no threat to Earth.

Ongoing Monitoring of Asteroids

For decades, astronomers have cataloged asteroids that could potentially intersect with Earth. Fortunately, they have found no imminent threats following extensive searches. Technological advances have allowed for the regular discovery of small asteroids approaching Earth, including instances earlier this month where smaller objects passed safely above the altitude of the International Space Station.

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