Close asteroid flyby [View all]
On Jan. 8th, asteroid 2019 AS5 flew past Earth only 8600 km above our planet's surface. Nine hours after the flyby, it was discovered by the Mt. Lemmon Survey telescope in Arizona. The asteroid was closer to our planet than many satellites. This diagram shows 2019 AS5 inside the orbits of GPS and other geosynchronous satellites:
If the 1 to 2 meter-wide space rock had hit Earth (and it almost did) it would have caused a brilliant fireball in the atmosphere with sonic booms and scattered meteorites on the ground--but no serious damage.
Earth's gravity significantly bent the asteroid's orbit during the flyby. To illustrate this effect, the Minor Planet Center has created an interactive 3D diagram of the encounter, which flung 2019 AS5 away from our planet after its brief visit.
Spaceweather.com
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