Asteroid 2025 PM the Size of a Jet to Pass Just Outside Moon’s Orbit

Astronomers are monitoring asteroid 2025 PM, a 50-meter Apollo-class space rock set to pass within one lunar distance of Earth on August 17, with scientists stressing the probability of impact is extremely low.

Close Approach at Lunar Distance

The Laboratory of Solar Astronomy of IKI and ISEF reported that asteroid 2025 PM will make its closest approach at 12:03 Moscow time on Sunday, August 17, passing at a distance of roughly one lunar orbit from Earth. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory also issued an advisory, with Newsweek noting that the asteroid is about the size of a commercial jet. It will approach no closer than 654,000 miles (over 1 million kilometers).

Size and Comparisons

Jerusalem Post compared the asteroid’s size to three Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs, each weighing up to 15 tons, though the exact mass of 2025 PM remains unknown. NASA is also tracking another object, asteroid 2025 PR1, measuring approximately 55 feet (16.7 meters) in diameter, which will pass Earth on Saturday at a distance of 609,000 miles (980,000 kilometers).

Why 2025 PM Is Classified as Hazardous

The Laboratory of Solar Astronomy classifies 2025 PM as potentially hazardous due to its unusually close approach—within 10 lunar distances of Earth’s orbit. Another asteroid of similar size is expected to make a comparable pass later this September.

Discovery and Composition

Discovered on August 1, 2025 PM belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids whose orbits intersect Earth’s from the outside. Preliminary data suggests it is a stony body with no signs of volatile compounds. Experts emphasize that, despite its proximity, the chance of Earth capture is “very small” and would only change significantly if the asteroid collided with another celestial body.

Future Close Encounters

In July, scientists warned that in April 2029, the asteroid Apophis—375 meters in diameter—will pass within 32,000 kilometers of Earth. The event will be visible to the naked eye for around 2 billion people across Europe, Africa, and Asia.