An asteroid flew over Antarctica at a record low altitude.

A small asteroid called 2025 TF made an extremely close flyby of Antarctica on October 1, flying just 428 km from the Earth's surface — at about the same altitude as the International Space Station. This was reported in the journal Science Daily.

It is specified that the size of the asteroid is estimated at 1-3 m, which makes it unsafe only in case of atmospheric entry, when the object can create a bright fireball and leave small meteorites on the surface.

The asteroid was discovered only a few hours after the flyby using the Catalina Sky Survey. Later, astronomers from the ESA Planetary Defense Office clarified the trajectory with high accuracy by observing the object through the Las Cumbres Observatory telescope in Australia.

Scientists note that objects of this size enter the Earth's atmosphere several times a year and rarely pose a danger. For comparison, an asteroid of about 20 m, similar to the one that exploded over Chelyabinsk in 2013, can cause a powerful air explosion and local destruction. Large asteroids hundreds of meters in diameter already pose a regional or global threat, which is why international monitoring programs, including ESA and NASA, closely monitor such objects.

In addition, flybys of small asteroids like 2025 TF help validate detection systems and improve forecasting models, as well as demonstrate the increasing accuracy of modern astronomical observations.

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On September 26, the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the IKI RAS reported that asteroid 2025 SU4 with a diameter of 2 m on Wednesday, September 24, approached the Earth at a minimum distance and passed near the planet at an altitude of 20 thousand meters.

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