Newly Discovered Asteroid 2025 KF Passes Earth, Moon Within One-Third Distance

A newly discovered asteroid, 2025 KF, approximately the size of 12.5 gorillas (32 to 75 feet in diameter), will make a close but safe approach to Earth on May 21, passing at about 71,700 miles away—roughly one-third of the distance to the Moon. Traveling at a speed of 25,880 mph, this house-sized asteroid was spotted just days before its flyby by astronomers in Chile and poses no threat of impact, with NASA noting that it would likely burn up if it entered Earth's atmosphere. 2025 KF is classified as a near-Earth object (NEO), part of the 40,000 such objects NASA monitors since 1998, with only a small fraction considered potentially hazardous. Meanwhile, a much larger asteroid, 387746 (2003 MH4), about 1,100 feet wide, will pass Earth on May 24 at a distance of 6.67 million kilometers, classed as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid due to its size and orbit crossing Earth's path, though it currently poses no immediate threat. Scientists emphasize the importance of continued monitoring and research to better predict and mitigate asteroid risks, as small changes in orbits over time could alter future trajectories. These events highlight the ongoing vigilance required to safeguard Earth from possible asteroid impacts.