Sneaky asteroid zooms past Antarctica closer than a satellite — and astronomers didn't catch it until hours after

A small asteroid measuring 3 to 10 feet wide passed closer to Earth than most satellites orbit last week, flying at roughly the same altitude as the International Space Station before astronomers detected it hours after the flyby. The space rock, designated 2025 TF, posed no threat to Earth and would have burned up if it had entered our atmosphere, though its proximity to spacecraft altitudes highlights detection challenges for smaller objects. Space agencies track thousands of near-Earth objects, but this asteroid fell well below the 460-foot diameter threshold for "potentially hazardous" classification, explaining why it evaded detection until after passing.