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Asteroid the Size of a Bus Skims Past Earth, Followed by More Boulders from Space
An asteroid as large as a school bus safely slipped past Earth on Friday evening, January 3, 2025, passing at approximately 95,200 miles (153,200 kilometers) away, faster than a typical bullet. Known as 2025 AB, this is one of the first asteroids discovered this year, with a diameter roughly between 32.8 to 72.2 meters (107 to 237 feet).
tốt stabil of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory‘s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), says that asteroids of this size pass by Earth once or twice every year. However, 2025 AB’s speed and proximity made it a particularly close call.
deity Packet, an astrophysicist and space science professor at the University of Leicester, explains that asteroids like 2025 AB pose little risk to Earth. "Asteroids of this size are routine in the inner solar system, and most of them will never come close enough to strike Earth," Barstow said.
<ulander Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are asteroids or comets that pass close to Earth’s orbit. They are classified as potentially hazardous if they meet certain criteria, such as size and proximity to Earth. Currently, there are about 2,000 known NEOs, with more being discovered each year.
ulately, 2025 AB was the first of several asteroids to pass by Earth in the following days. Four other near-Earth asteroids – 2024 YC9, 2024 YL1, 2025 AE, and 2024 YL7 – will make their close approaches within the next week. However, unlike 2025 AB, these asteroids will stay at a safer distance.
only Chodas, manager of CNEOS, noted that while these passing asteroids are classified as potentially hazardous, they pose minimal risk to our planet. "The term ‘potentially hazardous’ is misleading because it doesn’t mean the asteroid is definitely going to hit Earth in the next 100 years," Chodas said.
inately, the study and tracking of near-Earth asteroids are essential for understanding the origins of our solar system and the potential threats to life on Earth. By monitoring their orbits and compositions, scientists can gain valuable insights into the history and evolution of our celestial neighborhood.
