A small asteroid, known as 2025 TF, flew over Antarctica on October 1, 2025, at an altitude of only 266 miles.

There are many programs that detect near-Earth asteroids as part of countries' planetary defense strategies. In the case of asteroid 2025 TF, it was the Catalina Sky Survey, based in Arizona and operated by the University of Arizona, that first detected the asteroid hours after it passed Earth.

Companies are getting in on the ground floor of mining asteroids in space for precious minerals and important terrestrial information.

An asteroid just flew closer to Earth than many satellites, according to space agencies. The space object, named 2025 TF, zoomed over Antarctica at a distance of just 265 miles above the Earth's surface last Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 8:47 p.m. ET, the European Space Agency said on Monday. The International Space Station orbits at a similar altitude.

Famed Queen guitarist and citizen astronomer Brian May collaborated with NASA's asteroid mission OSIRIS-REx, helping scientists find a suitable landing spot on the space rock that turned out to be completely different from what they had expected and designed their mission for.

Not everything about space is true. Our planetary scientist is here to share the truth about popular celestial myths.

There were 140 people aboard the aircraft, which had to be diverted and made an emergency landing. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.