This illustration shows an asteroid, though not the one that hit Earth on August 16th.
NASA / JPL-CalTech
We got it pretty good at detecting careful asteroids and follow their paths. But sometimes the little ones pull through, like Asteroid 2020 QG did on Sunday.
The European Space Agency (ESA) NEO Coordination Center, which oversees objects in the Earth’s orbit, called 2020 QG “the closest asteroid ever seen to pass through our planet without touching it” in a statement on Tuesday.
The asteroid flew to Earth on August 16, the same day it was first detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility, an astronomical survey that looks at these kinds of things.
A few days ago, @ztfsurvey discovered the closest ever asteroid to pass Earth and did not hit: 2020 QG
Two observers supported by ESAs #PlanetaryDefence Office followed, determining the small object, but a few meters in diameter, had passed less than 3000 km from Earth pic.twitter.com/PchiVjDamL
– ESA Operations (@esaoperations) August 18, 2020
Two observers working with ESA’s Planetary Defense Office collect tracking data.
We now know the asteroid missed Earth with as much as 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometers). Compare that to the especially near flyby of asteroid 2020 JJ back in May. JJ came within 7,350 miles (7,000 kilometers) of the earth.
A visualization of the path of QG of 2020 shows it beyond our planet.
This visualization follows the path of asteroid 2020 QG as it passed Earth.
ESA NEO Coordination Center
ESA said the asteroid was small, measuring only a few meters across. That scientists have mocked it completely shows that our ability to locate and track objects in the Earth’s surroundings is becoming increasingly sober.
The dark size of the asteroid means that it was not a serious threat, even if it ran into the atmosphere. “Had it hit the earth, it would not have caused significant damage to the ground,” ESA said.
Now you can breathe your sigh of relief.
