A newly discovered asteroid passed within 2000 miles from Earth’s surface on Sunday, August 16, 2020, then moved on into space.
Asteroid ZTF0DxQ, now officially labeled 2020 QG, is truck-sized, or about 10 to 20 feet. It was moving at a speed of 7.7 miles per second or about 27,600 mph.
The asteroid approached us from a sunward direction and passed us by at 12:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time. Astronomers didn’t detect it until hours later after the object moved on.
Asteroid 2020 QG now holds the record as being the closest known non-impacting asteroid, passing us by at 1,830 miles above the southern Indian Ocean.
Check out these articles:
https://earthsky.org/space/closest-known-asteroid-flyby-ztf0dxq-2020-qg
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2020-160
Rod is a blogger, writer, filmmaker, photographer, daydreamer who likes to cook. Rod produces and directs the web series, CUPIC: Diary of an Investigator. He is also the editor, producer and administrator of STM Daily News, a part of the TNC Network.
