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Scientists in Pasadena, California at NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies tracked an asteroid that came very close to Earth. The near-Earth asteroid (known as 2023 BU) is roughly the size of a box truck, estimated to be 11.5 to 28 feet (3.5 to 8.5 meters) across.
Using the Scount impact hazard assessment system, engineers were able to determine that the asteroid would not hit Earth, and that given its size it would have disinegrated upon impact with our atmosphere.
“Scout quickly ruled out 2023 BU as an impactor, but despite the very few observations, it was nonetheless able to predict that the asteroid would make an extraordinarily close approach with Earth,” said Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at JPL who developed Scout, in a statement. “In fact, this is one of the closest approaches by a known near-Earth object ever recorded.”
So how close did the asteroid get to Earth?
It came within 2,200 miles (3,540 kilometers) as it passed over the southern tip of South America at 7:37 pm ET on Thursday, January 26, 2023.
Scientists say 2023 BU came so close to Earth that its orbit around the sun changed after the encounter. It now has an elongated orbit that will take it from 359 days to 425 days to orbit the sun.