An asteroid, named 2025 QD8, will come close to Earth on 3rd September 2025. The asteroid is 21.6 meters (71 feet) long, about the size of a small plane or a bus, so it shouldn’t get any closer than 218,000 kilometers (135,500 miles), which is 57% the distance from Earth to the Moon.
Flyby Information
NASA has indicated that the closest approach will happen at around 10:57 a.m. in Eastern Time (8:27 p.m. Indian Standard Time). The asteroid will be traveling at about 28,000 miles/hour (45,000 km/h) during the flyby. The distance to be kept from Earth and the Moon is astronomically safe and far away, though NASA labeled this flyby as “close.”
Safety and Scientific Importance
As regards the impact risk posed by 2025 QD8, experts highlight that it poses no risk to the Earth. Its size as well as its current trajectory do not make the asteroid a “potentially hazardous asteroid”. In contrast, these flybys are of great scientific importance as they give astronomers a chance to study the composition, wandering, and behaviour of asteroids, which is of importance for planetary defence.
How to Watch
Anyone wanting to see this phenomenon may do so as the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy will be streaming the asteroid’s transit using robotic telescopes. Live streams allow everyday people to experience the thrill of near-Earth flybys and help to raise awareness about the objects lurking in our solar system.
Although 2025 QD8 may sound a little exciting, it is indeed safe. Instead, this scenario gives us an extraordinary opportunity to observe and reminds us of the importance of tracking near-Earth objects.
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