House-size asteroid 2025 KF to pass within spitting distance of Earth today
Live Events
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
A newly discovered asteroid, approximately the size of a house, is set to make a close yet harmless approach to Earth today, May 21, 2025. Designated 2025 KF, this near-Earth object will pass within one-third of the Earth-moon distance, offering scientists a valuable opportunity to observe such celestial events At approximately 1:30 p.m. ET (1730 GMT), 2025 KF will pass about 71,700 miles (115,000 kilometers) from Earth, traveling at a speed of 25,880 miles per hour (41,650 kilometers per hour) relative to our planet. Its trajectory will take it closest to Earth's south polar region before it continues its orbit around the sun.Discovered on May 19 by astronomers at the MAP project in Chile's Atacama Desert, 2025 KF has an estimated diameter between 32 and 75 feet (10 to 23 meters)Despite its proximity, NASA confirms that the asteroid poses no threat to Earth or the moon, missing our natural satellite by roughly 140,844 miles (226,666 kilometers).Even if 2025 KF were on a collision course with Earth, its small size means it would likely disintegrate in the atmosphere, posing no danger to those on the ground.NASA has cataloged nearly 40,000 near-Earth asteroids since 1998, with close passes by small asteroids occurring regularly. Approximately 4,700 of these are classified as potentially hazardous, though scientists believe it's unlikely any will impact Earth in the next century.The late discovery of 2025 KF highlights the need for vigilant observation, as even small asteroids can approach Earth with little warning. Such monitoring is crucial for planetary defense and understanding the dynamics of our solar system.While 2025 KF's approach is not the closest on record, an asteroid in 2020 passed just 1,830 miles (2,950 kilometers) from Earth.For those interested in observing 2025 KF, it will be located in the constellation Hydra during its closest approach. However, due to its small size and brightness, it will only be visible through long-exposure photography or with the aid of powerful telescopes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
KCET 2025 Spot Rank List Out: How to download, what's next
The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) on June 3 released the Karnataka Common Entrace Test (KCET) spot rank 2025 list. Candidates who appeared for the state-level Undergraduate Common Entrance Test (UGCET 2025) and the results of those who have uploaded the second PU marks now can check their KCET spot rank at 'Results of those who have secured second PU marks and whose rank has not been declared yet have been declared. #Spotrank has been declared and can be found on the #KEA website,' the KEA said in a statement at the official website. This year, 3,11,690 candidates appeared for Physics, 3,11,767 for Chemistry, and 3,04,170 for Mathematics. KCET results have been announced on May 24. Of the total 3,30,787 candidates registering for the exam, as many as 3,11,991 appeared and 2,75,677 became eligible for admission to professional courses in Karnataka. The board while announcing the Karnataka CET 2025 result said that the announcement was delayed by 4–5 days due to approximately 10,000 candidates entering incorrect registration or roll numbers. Candidates from other boards and states were provided with a portal to enter their marks. Their submitted mark sheets were cross-verified before rank assignment. KEA had reopened the window for candidates without ranks to submit marks in the Karnataka 2nd PUC exams 2025 on May 26. KCET 2025 was held from April 15 to April 17. On the first day, the KEA conducted the KCET Kannada language test from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. The KCET physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology papers were conducted on April 16 and 17 in two shifts. The KCET rank list 2025 was prepared by taking the marks obtained by students in Class 12 or equivalent qualifying exam and KCET scores.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Biohacker Bryan Johnson's bold claim: 90-day oxygen therapy gave him 'biology of 10-year-old' in his quest to 'live forever'
What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)? Are there any risks? Live Events Who is Bryan Johnson? What do people think? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The American entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson says he is closer than ever to reaching his dream of "living forever". Johnson recently claimed that a 90-day round of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) helped reverse his biological age, making his body as young as that of a bold claim is part of his personal health project called Blueprint, which aims to stop or even reverse is a medical treatment where a person sits or lies inside a special chamber and breathes in almost pure oxygen at higher-than-normal air pressure. The goal is to push more oxygen into the blood. This can help tissues heal faster and reduce swelling. Each session usually lasts between 1 to 2 pressure, oxygen can travel deeper into parts of the body where it is normally hard to reach, especially areas with poor blood HBOT has some benefits, it is not without risks. Some people feel pressure or pain in their ears or sinuses. Others may have temporary changes in eyesight. In rare cases, more serious side effects can happen, such as lung problems, seizures, or very low blood sugar levels. These risks go up if the therapy is done too often or for too Johnson made his fortune in the tech world but is now best known for his fight against ageing. His project, Blueprint, includes strict routines for food, sleep, exercise, and even medical treatments. He spends around $2 million (USD) every year to follow this lifestyle is highly organised. He follows a plant-based diet, avoids sugar and processed foods, and sticks to a careful sleep and exercise routine. Along with HBOT, he also tries stem cell treatments and other experimental health experiments have gained huge attention on social media. Some people are inspired by his discipline and dedication. Others are unsure and even critical of his of his most controversial experiments involved taking blood transfusions from his teenage son. This move caused public concern and criticism from doctors and ethicists, who questioned the safety and morality of such agree that HBOT can help with healing and recovery, but many are doubtful about its role in reversing ageing. Scientists say more studies are needed before we can know if Johnson's methods truly work. They warn people not to follow such extreme routines without proper medical from TOI
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why a seat for Shukla on Axiom-4 is a big moment for India's space programme
Four decades after Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space, Shubhanshu Shulka, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer who is in the final leg of his pre-launch quarantine at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, will on Sunday, June 8, pilot a Dragon spacecraft that will take him, and three others, to the International Space Station (ISS), about 400 km from the Earth. Shukla, who is set to be the first Indian to step on to the ISS, will spend two weeks carrying out various experiments and studies in space. Though India or the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has had little role to play in the planning and execution of the mission — apart from securing a seat for an Indian on the spacecraft — Shulka's journey couldn't have come at a better time for the country's space programme as it prepares for Gaganyaan, India's own human spaceflight. The Dragon spacecraft, as well as the Falcon 9 rocket that will launch it into space, are built by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, one of the biggest private space companies in the world. The mission is being operated and managed by Axiom Space, a nine-year-old private entity focused on commercial spaceflight services. The US space agency NASA is facilitating this mission as part of its broader initiative to encourage private operators to participate in commercial space transportation activities in Lower Earth Orbits. The four-member crew also has astronauts from Poland and Hungary – countries that, like India, are sending their nationals to space after 40 years — underlining the very diverse nature of participation in this mission. Shukla's space journey was not planned like this. He was selected and trained for Gaganyaan, India's maiden human spaceflight mission that was originally scheduled for 2022 but is now expected to happen in early 2027. In the meanwhile, in 2023, NASA and ISRO agreed to develop a 'strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation', its immediate result being the inclusion of Indian astronauts in the Axiom-4 mission. Besides Shukla, Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, another Indian astronaut selected for the Gaganyaan programme, also underwent advanced training for the Axiom-4 mission, and is on backup. ISRO has designed about 10 experiments for this mission. These include investigations into the effects of microgravity on muscle dysfunctions, and the physical and cognitive impacts of utilising computer screens in space. Another experiment would study the impact of spaceflight on the growth of six varieties of crop seeds. ISRO is also sending a few tardigrades to the ISS. These microscopic, water-dwelling organisms, also called water bears or moss piglets, are known to survive in extremely harsh environments. They are often studied in space to gain a better understanding of how life can survive in extraterrestrial conditions. These are the experiments that ISRO would have carried out on Gaganyaan if the mission had gone ahead of Axiom-4. Now it has the opportunity to conduct follow-up and more advanced experiments on its own missions. Besides, Shukla, who is the designated pilot of Space X's Dragon spacecraft, can pass on invaluable experience and feedback to his colleagues when they travel to space as part of Gaganyaan. 'The Axiom-4 mission being so close to the Gaganyaan flight is a very good opportunity for ISRO. Shuks (Shukla), being the pilot, will learn a lot from this mission, and those would be very relevant for India's other astronauts who are waiting. This mission is a very fortuitous and profitable learning experience for India. Even the ground scientists… they will get to practise how to interact with crew in space and the mission control team. All this would be invaluable to ISRO not just for Gaganyaan but also for the space station it plans to set up in a few years' time,' said Michael Lopez-Alegria, a famed US astronaut who holds the world record for the maximum number of spacewalks (10) and the maximum time spent in spacewalks (close to 68 hours). Lopez-Alegria, who commanded the previous mission of Axiom Space, named Axiom-3, was in Delhi earlier this month. While on the face of it Shukla's flight appears similar to the one undertaken by Rakesh Sharma 41 years ago, aboard the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft of the then Soviet Union, the contexts and objectives of the two are vastly different. 'Rakesh Sharma's spaceflight was largely a result of Indo-Soviet friendship and close relationship between the space agencies of the two countries. India's capabilities were very limited then, and a human spaceflight programme of its own was nowhere on the horizon. Though hugely important, and a big learning experience, there was little from Sharma's flight that ISRO could have utilised in practical terms. Shukla's spaceflight, on the other hand, is very different. It is not an isolated event. It feeds in directly into the Gaganyaan programme, and must be seen as one of the several preparatory steps that ISRO is taking in the run-up to its own human spaceflight mission,' said Mylswamy Annadurai, retired ISRO scientist who was the project director for the Chandrayaan-1 mission. Even Rakesh Sharma's flight was not supposed to be an isolated event. More such spaceflights with Indian astronauts were under discussion. But the accident of the US space shuttle Challenger in 1986 led to a reassessment of human spaceflight plans everywhere, and ended that initiative. Along with his two Soviet colleagues on the mission, Sharma carried out several space experiments during his flight. These resulted in ISRO getting access to important and novel data, though the space agency had little utility for them at that time. In 1984, India did not even have a decent rocket of its own. The only one it had, SLV-3, could barely carry 30-40 kg to Lower Earth Orbits. India's important satellites, like those of the INSAT series, were being launched from the United States. Four decades later, India's space capabilities are almost on a par with the best. It has already landed on the Moon, orbited around Mars, has an ongoing mission studying the Sun, is preparing to send humans into space and a mission to Venus, is building a space station of its own, and planning to land humans on the Moon. Shukla's spaceflight is much more than a joyride offered by a friendly country. 'There are many building blocks for a complex mission like Gaganyaan. ISRO has already carried out several test flights. Recovery missions have been done, reusable launch vehicles have been tested. Later this year, we will also have the first uncrewed flight in the lead-up to the actual crewed flight. All these are building blocks. Shukla's flight is also one of the building blocks. It is fully integrated with ISRO's immediate and long-term objectives, particularly the Gaganyaan mission,' Annadurai said. With days left for Shukla's space odyssey, Lopez-Alegria had an important advice for him: don't spend all your time only doing experiments. 'Enjoy the experience and find time to look at the Earth at every opportunity. I wish I had been told this during my first space trip,' he said. 'The astronaut's time in space is valuable with strict timelines drawn for tasks and scientific experiments. It is natural for an astronaut to be concerned about completing these tasks. But it is also important to soak in the experience and give a hard look to the wonder that is this universe,' he said.
