Asteroid 2005 UK1 to fly within 0.08 AU of Earth Today

Asteroid 2005 UK1, nicknamed nickname planet killer because of its huge size, will fly within 0.08 astronomical units AU, or sun-Earth distances) of Earth today i.e. Monday January 12, 2026

Asteroid 2005 UK1, nicknamed nickname planet killer because of its huge size, will fly within 0.08 astronomical units AU, or sun-Earth distances) of Earth today i.e. Monday January 12, 2026.

Discovered in October 2005 by the Mt. Lemmon Survey, the Asteroid 2005 UK1, also known as minor planet 242708, is a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) classified by NASA.

The asteroid, of the size approximately 0.6–1.4 km (630–1,400 meters), roughly comparable to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, will be at its closest approach to Earth today. The size makes it large enough to be considered a potential "planet killer" if it ever impacted Earth.

Asteroid 2005 UK1 will pass by Earth at around 12.4 million km (about 0.083 AU, or roughly 32 times the average Earth-Moon distance).

The minimum distance occurs at approximately 13:21 UTC. This is a relatively close encounter in astronomical terms but poses zero risk of impact — space is vast, and it's safely distant, as per EarthSky.com.

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