2025 QD8: Extraordinarily Giant Asteroid Flies by Earth Today
2025 QD2025, an extraordinarily giant asteroid as big as a plane is set to fly by Earth today i.e. September 03, 2025, NASA said
[Representative image]
2025 QD2025, an extraordinarily giant asteroid as big as a plane is set to fly by Earth today i.e. September 03, 2025, NASA said.
But there is no threat to our planet or our neighbor the Moon.
“The near-earth asteroid 2025 QD8 will safely fly past Earth at 57% of lunar Distance on September 3, posing no threat to the Earth or the Moon”, the American space agency said.
Asteroid 2025 QD8 is expected to fly past Earth around 08:27 PM India Standard Time Wednesday offering an exciting opportunity for astronomers and space enthusiasts to observe a celestial visitor speeding past Earth.
2025 QD8 Size
According to NASA:
- 2025 QD8 has an estimated diameter ranging between 55 and 124 feet (17 and 38 meters).
- Travelling at a blistering velocity exceeding about 45,000 kmph relative to Earth.
- QD8 closest approach will be 136,000 miles from Earth.
- This is close in space terms but does not pose any threat.
NASA classifies dangerous asteroids that are wider than 85 meters. They must also come within 7.4 million kilometers to become a risk.
“QD8 does not meet either threshold of concern and hence not hazardous”, NASA said.
How and Where to Watch
The Virtual Telescope Project is set to host a free YouTube stream covering the 2025 QD8 flyby starting at 07:00 PM ET (23:00 GMT) on September 02, 2025.
The stream will feature live views of the asteroid as it approaches Earth, as captured by the organization's suite of robotic telescopes in Manciano, Italy.
Last Asteroid Alert
The last asteroid alert was about 2024 YR4 issued in April this year. The astronomers had said it will not pose any threat to Earth but warned it could hit Moon.
Giving the latest update, NASA said the likelihood of the asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with the Moon has significantly increased with astronomers previously predicting 2024-YR4 had a 3.8 percent chance of striking the moon. This however will not alter the moon's orbit.
NASA added that 2024-YR4 is 'now too far away to observe with either space or ground-based telescopes'. However, the US space agency expects to make 'further observations when the asteroid's orbit' when it comes back into orbit from 2028.
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