Now, you can say, it’s all over: a large asteroid recently flew by the Earth.
About the size of a van, the space rock, known as 2023 BU, flew over the southern tip of South America shortly before 00:30 GMT.
With a closest approach of 3,600 km (2,200 mi).
Subsequent observations have refined what we know about 2023 BU’s size and, importantly, its orbit.
That’s why astronomers could be so sure it would miss a planet even if it entered the arc occupied by the world’s telecommunications satellites, which are 36,000 km (22,000 miles) above us.
The chances of getting into a satellite are very, very small.
The time of lowest altitude was accurately calculated as 19:27 EST on Thursday or 00:27 GMT on Friday.
Even if the 2023 BU was on a direct collision course, it would have a hard time dealing significant damage.
With an estimated size of 3.5 to 8.5 meters (11.5 to 28 feet), the rock would likely break up high in the atmosphere. However, this would result in a spectacular fireball.
By comparison, the famous Chelyabinsk meteor, which entered Earth’s atmosphere over southern Russia in 2013, was an object about 20 meters (66 feet) in diameter. This sent a shock wave that shattered windows on the ground.
Scientists from the American space agency NASA say that the orbit of 2023 BU around the Sun was changed due to its encounter with Earth.
The gravity of our planet pulled it and regulated its path in space.
“Before the encounter with Earth, the asteroid’s orbit around the Sun was roughly circular, approaching the Earth’s orbit, it took 359 days to complete its revolution around the Sun,” the agency said in a statement.
“After the encounter, the asteroid’s orbit will become more elongated, moving it to about midway between the orbits of Earth and Mars at its furthest point from the Sun. Then the asteroid will complete one orbit every 425 days.”
A major effort is currently underway to find much larger asteroids that could actually cause damage if they hit Earth.
The real monsters, like the 12 km wide rock that wiped out the dinosaurs, have probably all been discovered and are no cause for concern.
Statistics indicate that only about 40% of these asteroids have been spotted and evaluated to determine the level of threat they may pose.
Such objects would cause city-wide devastation if they hit the ground.
Professor Don Pollacco, from the University of Warwick, UK, said: “There are still asteroids crossing Earth’s orbit waiting to be discovered.
“2023 BU is a recently discovered object, probably about the size of a small bus, that must have passed by Earth thousands of times before. This time it passes only 2,200 miles from Earth — just 1% of the distance to the Moon — a celestial miss.
“Depending on what 2023 BU is made of, it’s unlikely it will ever reach Earth’s surface, instead burning up in the atmosphere as a brilliant fireball – brighter than a full moon.
“However, there are likely many undiscovered asteroids that could enter the atmosphere and impact the surface, causing significant damage—indeed, many scientists believe we could be the cause of such an event.”
