Jet-Sized Asteroid to Fly Past Earth Tonight: See it Live Online

Tonight, on September 3, 2025, a newly discovered asteroid will skim past Earth at a distance closer than the Moon. The space rock, officially designated 2025 QD8, is estimated to be between 17 and 38 meters in diameter. That makes it roughly the size of a commercial jetliner or a Brachiosaurus dinosaur. Despite its dramatic approach, astronomers have confirmed there is no risk of impact. Instead, this flyby presents a rare opportunity to study a near-Earth object of this size, while also drawing public attention to planetary defense efforts. The asteroid will pass Earth at a distance of about 218,000 kilometers. That is roughly 57 percent of the Earth-Moon distance. By cosmic standards, that is very close.

When the encounter happens

The closest approach is expected at 10:57 a.m. Eastern Time on September 3, 2025. That corresponds to 14:56 UTC. At that moment, 2025 QD8 will be moving at nearly 45,000 kilometers per hour relative to Earth. This speed means that the asteroid will zip through our neighborhood in just a few hours. It will not be visible to the naked eye. Amateur astronomers with large telescopes and sensitive cameras may catch it as a faint moving point of light. For the rest of us, the best view will come through online streams organized by professionals.

The Virtual Telescope Project’s live coverage

The Virtual Telescope Project, an online observatory based in Italy, will host a global livestream of the event. Led by astronomer Gianluca Masi, the project has become famous for broadcasting close approaches of asteroids and comets. The livestream begins on September 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (23:00 UTC). It will run hours before the asteroid reaches its minimum distance, giving viewers a chance to watch 2025 QD8 glide across the sky in real time.

The project uses advanced robotic telescopes, including its “Elena” scope located in Ceccano, Italy. Recently, this same telescope captured a first image of 2025 QD8 when it was still 3.9 million kilometers away. The broadcast will show similar views, combined with commentary that explains the science behind the encounter. The stream will be available on the project’s official YouTube channel and website. It is free to watch, making it a global event for anyone curious about space.

A reminder of cosmic scale

It is worth noting how small 2025 QD8 is compared with larger space rocks. The asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaurs was more than 10 kilometers wide. Even the well-studied asteroid Apophis, which will make a close pass in 2029, is nearly 370 meters across.

In contrast, 2025 QD8 is tiny. Yet its approach at less than lunar distance makes it fascinating. It highlights how Earth constantly shares its space environment with rocky visitors. Most of them burn up in the atmosphere as meteors. Only a few, like this one, come close enough to study but still miss us safely.

Clear skies!

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