Today, January 12, 2026, a significant celestial event is occurring as the asteroid 2005 UK1 makes a distant but noteworthy flyby of Earth. This near-Earth asteroid is estimated to be between 0.6 and 1.4 kilometers (0.4 to 0.85 miles) in diameter, classifying it as 'mile-wide'. Due to its substantial size, it has been informally nicknamed a 'planet killer', a term used for asteroids capable of causing widespread devastation if they were to impact our planet. However, there is no cause for alarm, as 2005 UK1 is passing at a perfectly safe distance of approximately 12.4 million kilometers (7.7 million miles), which is about 32 times the average distance between the Earth and the Moon. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirms its closest approach occurs today, January 12, 2026, at 13:21 UTC. Discovered by the Mt. Lemmon Survey in October 2005, 2005 UK1 is designated as a 'Potentially Hazardous Asteroid' (PHA) because its orbital path can, at times, bring it within a specific proximity to Earth's orbit. Despite this classification, astronomers have precisely calculated its trajectory, assuring that it poses no risk of impact or any gravitational effect on Earth during this flyby. This event offers a valuable opportunity for professional observatories to study such large objects, though it is far too faint to be seen with the naked eye or typical backyard telescopes.