NEW DELHI: Yesterday, a hefty asteroid named 2025-TN2 cruised past Earth, giving astronomers a chance to study one of the many space rocks that zip through our solar system. Measuring about 87 feet across, roughly the length of a basketball court, this asteroid was the largest of four that passed close to our planet this week. It came within 1.34 million kilometres (832,000 miles), or about three and a half times the distance from Earth to the Moon. Scientists assure us there was no danger, as this distance is far enough to keep Earth safe.

The other three asteroids ie 2025 SJ29, 2025 TF1, and 2020 QU5, were smaller, ranging from 55 to 81 feet in size. That’s about the size of a small house or a large truck. These space rocks also stayed at safe distances, with none coming closer than 2025-TN2. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program, which tracks these cosmic travellers, confirmed that none posed any threat. “It’s like watching cars pass on a distant highway—interesting but harmless,” said a NASA spokesperson.

Asteroids like 2025-TN2 are rocky remnants from the early days of our solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago. They orbit the Sun, mostly in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but some, like these four, swing closer to Earth. NASA classifies any asteroid within 48 million kilometres as a “near-Earth object,” and 2025-TN2’s flyby was well within that range, though still far enough to be no cause for alarm.

Astronomers spotted these asteroids using powerful telescopes, like those at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii. The data helps scientists predict future paths and ensure no surprises. For example, 2025-TN2 travels at about 12 kilometres per second (27,000 miles per hour), fast enough to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a few minutes! But its trajectory was well understood, ruling out any chance of a collision.

NASA tracks thousands of near-Earth objects every year, and about 100 new ones are discovered monthly. Most are small and burn up harmlessly if they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Larger ones, like 2025-TN2, get extra attention to confirm they won’t cause trouble. The good news? No known asteroid is on a collision course with Earth for the foreseeable future.