NASA Asteroid Alert: Two asteroids to fly by earth today – Here's what we know

NASA is tracking two asteroids set to fly by Earth today. One of the asteroids is the size of an airplane, while the other is comparable to a bus, according to the US space agency.

The first asteroid, named 2024 TE, is approximately the size of a bus, and the closest it will come to Earth is 1.3 million kilometers.

The second asteroid, named 2024 SD3, will fly by Earth at a distance of 1.49 million kilometers and is roughly the size of an airplane.


NASA's Asteroid Watch dashboard tracks asteroids and comets that will make relatively close approaches to Earth. The dashboard provides information on the date of closest approach, the approximate size of the object, and its distance from Earth.

The dashboard tracks the next five Earth approaches within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers), which is 19.5 times the distance to the moon. Any object larger than about 150 meters that comes within this range is classified as a potentially hazardous object.

For context, the average distance between Earth and the moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers).

In addition, a rare celestial event is unfolding: Earth has temporarily captured a second "moon."

The asteroid, named 2024 PT5, has been pulled into Earth’s orbit, making it a temporary moon or "mini-moon." Measuring approximately 37 feet (10 meters) in diameter, it is significantly smaller than Earth’s natural moon, which has a diameter of 3,476 kilometers. Discovered on August 7, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), 2024 PT5 originates from the Arjuna asteroid belt. Despite its temporary status, this mini-moon will only circle Earth for 57 days before continuing its journey through space.