Key Takeaways
- An asteroid named 2025 QD8 will pass 135,465 miles from Earth on September 3, at 10:57 a.m. ET.
- The asteroid, about the size of a commercial jet, poses no threat to Earth or the moon during its flyby.
- Live coverage of the flyby will be available through the Virtual Telescope Project on YouTube starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Upcoming Asteroid Flyby
A near-Earth asteroid designated 2025 QD8 will make a close approach to Earth on September 3, passing within approximately 135,465 miles (218,009 kilometers), which is about 57% of the distance between the Earth and the moon. The flyby is scheduled to occur at 10:57 a.m. ET (1456 GMT), and the asteroid is expected to travel at a swift speed of over 28,000 miles per hour (45,000 km/h).
Officially classified as neither a danger to Earth nor the moon, 2025 QD8 has an estimated diameter of 55 to 124 feet (17 to 38 meters). The asteroid’s trajectory has been closely monitored by NASA and its partners, who continuously track numerous near-Earth objects, including thousands that could potentially pose a risk in the future.
To provide public access to this astronomical event, the Virtual Telescope Project will host a free live stream on YouTube beginning at 7 p.m. ET (23:00 GMT). The stream will feature live images of the asteroid, taken by robotic telescopes positioned in Manciano, Italy.
Prior to the flyby, on August 30, the Virtual Telescope Project successfully captured an image of 2025 QD8 from a distance of about 2.4 million miles (3.9 million kilometers). This photograph, taken using a 17-inch telescope named “Elena,” depicts the asteroid as a tiny dot amidst a distant field of stars.
According to the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the likelihood of a significant asteroid impacting Earth within the next 100 years is very low, offering reassurance regarding the safety of our planet in relation to these celestial bodies. NASA continues to monitor the vast number of asteroids that could intersect with Earth’s orbit, ensuring that potential threats are well-documented and evaluated.
For those interested in astronomy and space events, the upcoming flyby of 2025 QD8 presents a unique viewing opportunity that illustrates the ongoing efforts of scientists to observe and predict the movements of near-Earth objects.
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